Google Health - Lose privacy, gain questionable medical assistance!

Read the article about Google unveiling Google Health here.

Seriously, who knew so many people would be okay with giving up their private information as long as it is designed nicely? I fear things like this, largely because of the potential for them to become popular. Eventually so many people use it, and so many institutions require it, that you no longer have a choice but to join in with it. For example, it is in fact illegal for anyone to request or require your social security number for services. That is because, when social security was started, they didn't want people to have an identification number for everything else. The way it is today. I despise programs like this that ask people to put out their personal documents, but accept no responsibility for what happens in case of a server attack or a breach that publishes your personal information. The convenience just cannot be worth it.

About the Author: Eric Reid

I am the Social Media Services Manager for Off Madison Ave. I've been with the company since 2006, when I was hired to do SEO, and link building in particular. When social networking sites started cropping up, at first I started using them to create backlinks - but they weren't the best for that, given all of the "nofollow" attributes. However, I did see the potential for all of the direct referral traffic they represent. Since then I've been actively pursuing both tactics for clients: Links that can help them for search, and social postings that get them involved in the conversation. It's about the coolest job you could ever get. ;)

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2 comments so far

Steve says:

Your personal health data is as much at risk in the hands of your doctors and hospitals than on Google's servers. I would venture a guess that Google is doing more to protect you than they are. Your opinion is a very narrow and uneducated view of an attempt to solve a very real and scary problem. We are not in charge of our own medical information and the push towards something like this is a major step in the right direction. You should not be so quick to judge something you clearly know nothing about.

James Archer says:

Re: "I despise programs like this that ask people to put out their personal documents, but accept no responsibility for what happens in case of a server attack or a breach that publishes your personal information."

Does a doctor's office offer any more security or responsibility for these records than Google does?

Honestly, I think I trust Google's army of lawyers to be a bit more risk-averse with this kind of data than the high-school kid filing papers at my physician's office.