Event Rapporteur - Nora Kirk

Our Data, Our Health: The Future of Mobile Health Technology
Whose Data is it Anyway?

            Last Thursday, I attended a panel organized by New America to discuss the future of mobile health data. Three different members of the tech industry comprised the panel: an MD and tech start-up founder, an Internet research fellow, and a Professor of Computer Science.
            Smartphones can now monitor everything from blood glucose to sleep movements. Users are able to use this information to create a full picture of their health, bypassing doctor’s visits and expediting diagnoses.  However, users are often unknowingly handing over mass amounts of personal data collected by these apps to third parties.

            Although we’ve become accustomed to the large amount of private information we share with social media and mobile applications, health records have traditionally received some of the strictest legal protections. Now, health apps transfer ownership that used to exist between a patient and a doctor to a third party.

            The panel paralleled many of the discussions on privacy we’ve had in class. While technology opens the door to innovation and efficiency, it also often requires sacrificing privacy. On one hand, Professor Estrin argued that this increased access places patients in control of their own information. This removes the cost and time of going to a doctor’s office and allows patients to more easily communicate with their doctors. However, other panelists voiced concerns this convenience costs users the ownership of their health records.
            While users may not be concerned with what a company could do with their Fitbit measurements, this information paired with the “virtual footprint” users have on other platforms, this data is invaluable.  App companies can track, monitor, and connect health data to create a detailed profile of who the user is.

            Dr. Selanikiko also worried that this information could hurt users later. He referenced the potential for individuals to be denied insurance benefits from health app records or negatively impacting future employment prospects.

            Although the panel all agreed that mobile health apps pose privacy concerns, there wasn’t much agreement on what steps could be taken to combat its effects. Professor Estrin – who was the most hopeful of mobile health’s potential – suggested creating technology that keeps this information private, like encrypted cloud technology.  The answer isn’t in dismissing mobile health apps, she believes, but in actively developing programs that mitigate these concerns.
            The panel also raised the implications of the digital divide in privacy ownership. Apple, for example, doesn’t sell users data. Yet, they are a luxury brand that is outside most consumers price range. Conversely, Google is only free because it takes advantage of the wide data available to make a profit. Users who can afford it then can to some degree protect their personal information. But for the majority of the world, it’s not even an option whether they release ownership of their data. This means that they have to choose between the solutions technology provide and the privacy they sacrifice.

            Overall, I enjoyed the panel and was glad to relate the topics we’ve been discussing in class with applications I use frequently.  Mobile health technology discussion often revolves around its use and strides in developing countries, while failing to take a critical eye towards the more ‘mundane’ applications playing a role in our lives. Additionally, I would have ben interested in hearing more about the tangible dangers of mobile health data privacy concerns and how third parties have used data.