Item — HN Reader

> Staffers across Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent, have access to the patient information, documents show...

And now with Fitbit going Google, it appears that Google wants to know everything about you beyond your name and location. Potentially, serving you ads over your Fitbit or prescription recommendations driven by these ads.

If this is what Google calls the "future of healthcare", then they need more luck than ever, as the healthcare industry is extremely regulated when it comes to healthcare records.

1 comments

I personally suspect the Fitbit acquisition has more to do with making a reliable wearable personal assistant than "ads over Fitbit." Larry and Sergei are still into the idea that we're on the cusp of getting the "everybody has a wearable personal-area-network" part of dystopia cyberpunk futures real soon now, and they want that wearable PAN to be able to track biometrics (for all kinds of reasons; it's just one more signal a personal assistant can tie into).

> Larry and Sergei are still into the idea that we're on the cusp of getting the "everybody has a wearable personal-area-network"

Over my dead body.

Especially if you're into extreme hiking and you end up unconscious in a ditch in the wilderness with no biometric monitor connected to a GPS locator and cellular radio. ;)

When you're into extreme stuff you should take extreme precautions. The chances of me ending up unconscious in a ditch in the wilderness are nil. This wasn't always the case and I'd make sure to plot my route and have check-in points set up in advance which is the way to do that. Your fall into the ditch may destroy your fancy gear and then what? But that stuff certainly won't hurt to bring along on a risky trek (and on plenty that don't look all that risky, the weather can really get you).

Unless your family members starts seeing personalized ads about funeral services and flowers quick enough, they will never suspect you are in urgent need of medical attention.

I don't care if they know. I'm more thinking "The paramedic service that I pay a subscription fee to for LifeAlert-grade monitoring in the event of disturbing vitals."