Health data sharing now a thing in the USA
Yay for putting aside differences! Some massive tech giants – IBM, Salesforce, Amazon and Google to name a few – all said they’ll adopt some standard health data sharing services. This is a big deal: it means healthcare providers can work on similar systems and leverage tech like AI.
THE TAKEAWAY:
“We see this as a historic moment where we can intervene in just the right ways as healthcare shifts to the cloud and makes AI available.”
Google tracks you even when you don’t want it to
Yeaaaaaah…not cool. An AP investigation found Google stores your location data even when users have explicitly told certain services that they don’t want them to. These affects billions of devices, and really plays into the emerging concept of prioritized consent in data sharing. Not a good look.
THE TAKEAWAY:
“Some searches that have nothing to do with location, like “chocolate chip cookies,” or “kids science kits,” pinpoint your precise latitude and longitude — accurate to the square foot — and save it to your Google account.”
Healthcare record scare a missed opportunity
Australia is implementing a national online health record scheme, and the response has been mixed at best. Canberra Times reports that the negative reaction could impede the benefits of the program which can save lives. Both now and in the future.
THE TAKEAWAY:
“The worst thing about the disappointing way the federal government’s My Health Record has been implemented is that millions of Australians are now much more likely to opt out of the potentially life-saving initiative than otherwise.”
Open banking takes off, but countries aren’t aligned
The world is getting used to the idea that “open banking” should be a thing. Now more countries are doing this, Forbes looks into how each nation is taking a unique approach to privacy – Australia is different from Europe, which is different from Hong Kong, etc. But the different approaches might result in disparate standards and more confusion. Not ideal.
THE TAKEAWAY:
“As Australia puts the consumer first, Hong Kong sets standards, Europe lays down rules, the United States leaves things to free markets, and Canada shows caution, each country is taking its own unique approach to finding a balance between the benefits of open banking and the need to protect consumer data.”
Well, that’s our wrap for this week. Thanks for reading – we hope you found it entertaining and informational. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these articles and anything else data related! Contact us anytime!
Until next week,
Team Data Republic