Google Health: Imagine The Ads You Will See

Posted on November 12, 2019 by

¡SNAP!

Hey guys, remember last week when Google bought Fitbit, and everyone (well, me) had a cow that Google would have access to your Fitbit dashboard and know your exercise schedule, heart beat, weight? Such simpler, happier times…

Google has signed a deal with Ascension, the second-largest hospital system in the US (Ascension operates in 150 hospitals in 21 states), and as the WSJ reports, has secretly collected the personal health information of millions of Americans!

“Google began Project Nightingale in secret last year with St. Louis-based Ascension, a Catholic chain of 2,600 hospitals, doctors’ offices and other facilities, with the data sharing accelerating since summer, according to internal documents.

“Project Nightingale” hoovers-up (is too a vurb!)  your health data — including lab results, doctor diagnoses, and hospitalization records, along with identifiers like, oh, you know, YOUR NAME and BIRTHDAY — to design new software to suggest changes in individual patient care.

Neither patients nor doctors have been notified of the collection, but don’t worry: at least 150 Google Masters of the Universe employees have access to much of the data, and they are definitely not giggling at your vital signs, and they will protect your sensitive data with all of the usual care that Silicon Valley shows us mere mortals.

Amazon, Uber, and Apple are all pitching themselves as players in this Brave, New World. Yes, that Uber.

Anyway, the next time you look something up online to settle a wager with a pal, imagine the ads you’ll see about that embarrassing thing you once asked your doctor about. You should totally get that looked at, by the way.

This entry was posted in Silicon Valley, Technology, The Google. Bookmark the permalink.

11 Responses to Google Health: Imagine The Ads You Will See

  1. w3ski4me says:
    November 12, 2019 at 9:07 am

    If this means Uber sends a driver in time for my next appointment, it might not be half bad.
    w3ski

    Liked by 2 people

  2. MDavis says:
    November 12, 2019 at 9:15 am

    China has some big competition:

    Liked by 2 people

  3. roket says:
    November 12, 2019 at 9:16 am

    Also too. There’s a hack for that.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. brucedesertrat says:
    November 12, 2019 at 9:30 am

    What Happens if You Break HIPAA Rules?

    Civil penalties for HIPAA violations start at $100 per violation by any individual who violates HIPAA Rules. The fine can rise to $25,000 if there have been multiple violations of the same type. These penalties are applied when the individual was aware that HIPAA Rules were being violated or should have been aware had due diligence been exercised. If there was no willful neglect of HIPAA Rules and the violation was corrected within 30 days from when the employee knew that HIPAA Rules had been violated, civil penalties will not apply.

    Criminal Penalties for HIPAA Violations

    The criminal penalties for HIPAA violations can be severe. The minimum fine for willful violations of HIPAA Rules is $50,000. The maximum criminal penalty for a HIPAA violation by an individual is $250,000. Restitution may also need to be paid to the victims. In addition to the financial penalty, a jail term is likely for a criminal violation of HIPAA Rules.

    Note, Fines and penalties are assessed on a per disclosure basis: leak 1000 records, pay 1000 fines.

    However, when you go to the doctors office you’re supposed to be given a HIPAA discolsure form to sign. You can specify that your information NOT be shared with ‘business partners’ and with your insurance company only for the purposes of payments.

    They like to bury you in a blizzard of 4th generation xerox legalese, but there are usually three or four places to sign or initial on a proper HIPAA release form, and commercial utilization of your records are supposed to be a separate section.

    Also, of all those players, I trust Apple more, because a) they’ve worked hard on privacy in general, and b) they want to sell you widgets; Uber and Google want to sell you.

    Liked by 4 people

  5. Dennis Cole says:
    November 12, 2019 at 9:57 am

    “Knock-knock.”
    “Who’s there?”
    “HIPPA”
    “HIPPA who?”
    “I’m sorry, but Federal regulations will not allow me to give you that information.”

    Liked by 4 people

  6. Pingback: Google To Access Patient Data | personnelente

  7. JTO says:
    November 12, 2019 at 12:19 pm

    I guess my health insurance rates will go up because of my exercise and diet habits. . . cross indexed with google maps, streetview, GPS tracking for the distances I ‘run’, electronic purchases at the liquor store, the quickee mart and the ‘almost like a pizza’ joint down the street. Anything for actuarial accuracy.

    F. I just gave them an idea, didn’t I.

    Liked by 3 people

Comments are closed.