Trusting Google…with everything?
So today it came out that both Google and Microsoft are going to be entering the health care business. Offering ways for either the companies or the individuals to keep track of their records and other information that will be useful for mostly the consumer, but also, and obviously the companies revenue.
What it appears from the leaked Google screen shots, is that they will offer a way for you to keep track of your records and based on the records on information that is in the Google Health portal, you will be able to search for the most relevant information. We’ll see how useful or widespread these initiatives will be, but what these articles really got me wondering about was how much information do people trust to Google (or Microsoft for that matter).
I was talking with a friend about if we would each trust Google with our medical records and at this time I am still skeptical that I would, however it may just be a matter of time. People were nervous about online banking when it started, but now, by my generation at least, people don’t even think about using the internet for their banking. I trust Google Checkout because of my bank protecting me, in case information were to be stolen and used. My bank would be able to help solve the problem, but not Google. Yet my banking is done online, so where’s the trust level difference come from?
Now Google is getting into, docs and spreadsheets that entire companies could technically run on if they wanted to save some money. They are trying to buy the wireless spectrum, which I haven’t researched enough, but I would imagine that giving them access to quite a bit of cell phone data and information. And now, health care, yet another thing that people are nervous about sharing with other people. So is it just a matter of time before we accept this and start sharing all of our information with someone like Google, or is it a major hurdle?
If the world really is becoming flat like some people say then I think it will only be a matter of time before we think it was silly for us to be nervous about putting this info online.
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The most interesting comment I read was on the “leaked Google screen shots” comments page…noting that Google is not under HIPPA regulations, meaning from my vantage point that, if it wanted to / was offered enough money, it could share the stored data with anyone it wanted. Feel free to argue this thought all you want, but that is just a potential…
My first thought about this is that “it really does not matter to me since I have pretty much super clean medial records save my medically challenged family genes.” I would have a lot of questions about the possible benefits and use of the information before I would put my info online, and I would probably defer to my wife’s thoughts on this since she is in the medical field.
I see the benefit of online banking, but I do not see, at this point, the benefit of online medical information for me.