Google has been collecting health data on millions of Americans

[Pea-n-Me]

Looks like this story is just breaking in the past day or so, so I'm sure more info will follow.

But here it is:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/google...lth-data-on-millions-of-americans-11573496790
"Neither patients nor doctors have been notified. At least 150 Google employees already have access to much of the data on tens of millions of patients, according to a person familiar with the matter and the documents.

In a news release issued after The Wall Street Journal reported on Project Nightingale on Monday, the companies said the initiative is compliant with federal health law and includes robust protections for patient data.

Some Ascension employees have raised questions about the way the data is being collected and shared, both from a technological and ethical perspective, according to the people familiar with the project. But privacy experts said it appeared to be permissible under federal law. That law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, generally allows hospitals to share data with business partners without telling patients, as long as the information is used “only to help the covered entity carry out its health care functions.”

Google in this case is using the data in part to design new software, underpinned by advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning, that zeroes in on individual patients to suggest changes to their care. Staffers across Alphabet Inc., GOOG -0.93% Google’s parent, have access to the patient information, internal documents show, including some employees of Google Brain, a research science division credited with some of the company’s biggest breakthroughs."

I also hate that they've used the name of a nurse icon for this project.

 

[Searc]

I'm an Ascension patient and just saw this story on a local news site.

 

[usnuzuloose]

It sure is not surprising. All kinds of stuff is out there that we would be surprised at companies gathering data on everyone

 

[kaytieeldr]

As long as the individual patients are 100% anonymous and unidentifiable, if it works, great.

 

[MillauFr]

As long as the individual patients are 100% anonymous and unidentifiable, if it works, great.

I'm sure the Russian hackers already have the patient names. They are probably trying to sell the info to Life Insurance companies.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

As long as the individual patients are 100% anonymous and unidentifiable, if it works, great.

But they’re not. They have names, birthdates, medical record numbers and all the other identifying information for these patients.

 

[leebee]

I guess we shouldn't be surprised to learn this. There is so much info about everyone in electronic storage that hackers can probably get at everything anyhow. NOT that I am happy about this at all. It's complete invasion of privacy, and none of anyone's damned business. However, information and data mining is big business, so I really am not surprised that this has happened. I always thought that DH was being a bit paranoid about wearing a magic band in Disney, but he's always said that data is worth money, and what's to keep Disney from selling our info to companies (info like how many times we frequent bars or how many drinks we order, then selling this to insurance companies... could effect car insurance rates, health insurance rates, et). Like I said, I always thought he was being paranoid, but now? Who knows?

 

[kerry1379]

This would be for Google to design a product (this new AI software) that would be used to make money off of us right? It isn't for the patient so much as it is for Google. So how isn't that a violation of HIPPA?

 

[superme80]

I heard about this yesterday. Completely not surprised.

 

[jackers]

Patient data is key in medical technology advancements. And those advancements aren’t done by non profit organizations.

 

[DuskKodesh]

Google is collecting data on us?

 

[Hikergirl]

My health insurance company already has had a data breach, the hospital we use and the lab too so my family's medical info is already out there through those 3 breaches. I'm not really surprised or even bothered by this.
No matter what is said your data is not really secure or protected, it is a commodity and when money is involved then all bets are off.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Google is collecting data on us?
View attachment 452301

This data is supposed to be protected. This is what HIPAA is all about.

If data is used with third party companies for operations or improvements, it is not supposed to have identifying information attached to it.

Information in this current story HAS ALL identifying information attached to it, such as names, dates, diagnoses, scanned records and FREE TEXT, i.e. what your caregivers have written about you, among other things. Baisically EVERYTHING about you medically.

Out there just like that.
When it's not supposed to be.

About 150 Google employees have access to this data right now. Let's hope they are all trustworthy. But for that I wouldn't hold my breath...

Last week two Twitter employees were arrested for spying for the Saudi government by extracting users' private information for money and gifts.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/06/two-former-twitter-employees-spied-for-saudi-arabia-doj-charges.html
People have a right to have their sensitive medical information remain private, and anonymous if used legally through operational channels.

Currently the federal government is launching an inquiry into this situation.

Stay tuned.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I mean, I know some people might not care much right now because they don't have much in their medical histories, personally.

But you can't look at this in a vacuum, it's a very slippery slope...

Looking at the bigger picture, many people, including our own families, have things they might not care to share publicly with the world.

Off the top of my head - maybe someone had a suicide attempt, is on psychotropic medication, is HIV positive, has been battling cancer for a year, has a failing heart, is transgender or transitioning, has herpes or recurrent STIs, was raped by an uncle, has erectile dysfunction, suffers from PTSD, has no health insurance, is homeless, was abused as a child, was adopted or gave a child up for adoption, had five abortions, you name it.

This is privileged information and medical consumers have an inherent expectation of privacy.

Shame on Google for treating it so carelessly.

 

[mom2rtk]

I mean, I know some people might not care much right now because they don't have much in their medical histories, personally.

But you can't look at this in a vacuum, it's a very slippery slope...

Looking at the bigger picture, many people, including our own families, have things they might not care to share publicly with the world.

Off the top of my head - maybe someone had a suicide attempt, is on psychotropic medication, is HIV positive, has been battling cancer for a year, has a failing heart, is transgender or transitioning, has herpes or recurrent STIs, was raped by an uncle, has erectile dysfunction, suffers from PTSD, has no health insurance, was abused as a child, was adopted, you name it.

This is privileged information and medical consumers have an inherent expectation of privacy.

Pea, the most shocking part of stories like this any more is how little people seem to care.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'm just a realist, I know that if my data is "out there" it is never truly secure.
That is just a fact of life in this day and age. I don't see the point in getting worked up over things beyond my control. Investigate, fine, jail or whatever, there will just be someone else out there exposing our data or stealing it.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Pea, the most shocking part of stories like this any more is how little people seem to care.

You are SO RIGHT!

I think, until it hits them personally. As I said, some have nothing that they probably wouldn't put out there themselves, I guess. But for many others, that's not the case.

Those of us who care for patients know that people want privacy and we fight for it on behalf of patients ourselves. (Which is why I'm not surprised to read that employees at Ascencion blew the whistle here.)

It also opens up a can of worms for the medical community when patients aren't open because they're afraid of having their information out there. How can doctors treat someone correctly if they don't have all the information they need? Then what happens when something goes wrong, who's to blame?

 

[lifesavacation]

We have no privacy anymore. People should be really concerned.

 

[JoeA]

And now they buy Fitbit, giving access to all kinds of data. I read that people are already tossing the Fitbit and buying other wearables.

 

[Hikergirl]

You are SO RIGHT!

I think, until it hits them personally. As I said, some have nothing that they probably wouldn't put out there themselves, I guess. But for many others, that's not the

I actually don’t put a lot out there for this very reason, but there are things that I don’t control, like my medical info. Unless one chooses to literally go off the grid and never see a doctor or have health insurance then you don’t have a choice in what is out there or who is in control of it. In turn that means there will always be a risk of private info being exposed.