I just returned from CES 2010, the annual conference in Las Vegas that showcases the latest developments in consumer electronics. The Seattle Times has covered the conference extensively.
At the conference, a presenter on digital health developments made the point that, more and more, telemedicine and other technology will replace human interaction with doctors. He said this will be necessary because there simply are not enough doctors to cover the baby boom generation as it ages.
It is no secret that extensive compilation and sharing of digital health data creates significant privacy challenges. What may be surprising to some is that the privacy problem is not caused by the inability to keep electronic data encrypted and secure. We can do that pretty well if we don’t need to share the data extensively. The problem arises because we share parts of our information with so many people – doctors and nurses yes, but also pharmacists, insurance providers, employers to a certain extent, loved ones. Moreover, much of what could be considered health information can be gleaned from all of the other electronic data that is gathered about us.
As we get deeper into the digital age, more and more of our life is recorded in “the cloud,” and that data is always accessible to someone. This includes virtually everything we purchase (including, for example, the payments we make to hospitals and the prescription drugs we buy) and every place we go (including a doctor’s office, a rehab clinic, the gym, the emergency room). Telecom companies know where our cell phone is at any given time. Many of our assets – bank accounts, mortgage records, stock portfolios – only exist in an electronic entry somewhere.
One presenter recommended Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a website that compiles information about privacy rights in the digital age and recommends ways to protect them. For example, don’t give your pharmacist or insurance company permission to share your purchase data with other insurance companies. (Databases of this information exist and some insurance companies share them with other insurance companies to help screen insurance applicants.)
Certainly we will apply technology and pass numerous laws to maintain our privacy and the security of our assets. But I think addressing the problem will require more than just a matter of using passwords and signing release forms. Socialization and establishing new mores is vital. As technology changes society, our shared values and conventions need to change along with it. What was once considered no big deal – say, sharing someone’s birth date – is now a big deal, and becoming more so all of the time.