An impressive article written by a young doctor poses the problem of social sharing, data we don’t know we’re generating and how that data is being processed in ways such as tracking programs to predict and analyze our behavior. The example he gives of the Samaritans (a non-profit social services group in UK with a mission to prevent suicide) design of an app to be used with tweets of people we follow to alert you of worsening mood changes so that you could intervene. Some felt it was beneficial, most considered the possibilities for misuse or cyberstalking, and it was pulled. The other, rather chilling example was how a PHR could pick up EHR patient evaluation notes data not meant to be seen by the patient. Data insecurity with devastating consequences. Read the article for what UK family GPs are being asked to do by the Government. When data gets creepy: the secrets we don’t realise we’re giving away (Guardian). Hat tip to reader Mike Clark.
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