Google reportedly collects health data on millions of Americans without informing patients - CNET
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fter the Journal report was published, Ascension issued a press release announcing the partnership. Ascension said the deal involves its infrastructure being moved onto Google’s cloud platform, as well as the company adopting Google’s G Suite productivity tools. The company said the deal is compliant with HIPAA, the federal law regulating the security and privacy of certain medical information.
“As the health care environment continues to rapidly evolve, we must transform to better meet the needs and expectations of those we serve as well as our own caregivers and health care providers,” said Eduardo Conrado, Ascension’s executive vice president of strategy and innovations.
Google also released a statement late Monday, calling the agreement with Ascension “standard practice in health care .”
“To be clear: under this arrangement, Ascension’s data cannot be used for any other purpose than for providing these services we’re offering under the agreement,” Tariq Shaukat, president of Google Cloud, said in a blog post. “And patient data cannot and will not be combined with any Google consumer data.”
“By working in partnership with leading health care systems like Ascension, we hope to transform the delivery of health care through the power of the cloud, data analytics, machine learning, and modern productivity tools ,” Shaukat said.
The project announcement comes as Google makes a bigger push into health care. Earlier this month, the search giant said it’s buying Fitbit, a fitness tracker company, for $2.1 billion, signaling a deeper investment in health services.
On Monday, news of Project Nightingale riled up lawmakers. “Blatant disregard for privacy, public well-being, & basic norms is now core to Google’s business model,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said in a tweet. “This abuse is beyond shameful.”