Google Health is a free online health portal for everyone. You can store your personal details, track your medical history, research symptoms and locate hospitals and doctors. The site also lets you import data from your existing medical records (US only at the moment) to make it easy to get up and running. The company has even set up a Health Advisory Council to act as a consultancy service on the running of the new site (video). Why is it scary? Well it’s the mighty Google, innit? And it’s our health. You need to ask more?
Why is Google offering this product? It’s what we do. Our corporate mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Health information is very fragmented today, and we think we can help. Google believes the Internet can help users get access to their health information and help people make more empowered and informed health decisions. People already come to Google to search for health information, so we are a natural starting point. In addition, we have a lot of experience storing and managing large amounts of data and developing consumer products that offer a positive and simple user experience.
I’m in two minds about this (I guess I must be ill).
On the one hand, it’s our information and it’s about our health so we’re entitled to hold the information.
On the other hand, if the information gets out or is compromised or, heaven-forbid, is sold then the potential for misuse (and SPAM) is almost incalculable.