In class today, we started the discussion of the information network. It was mentioned that the world wide web is getting arbitrarily large. An important point to notice is the ways in which it is growing. One way that has become especially popular during recent years is the use of the web for personal services and for the storage of personal data. Today there are shopping services, social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, and document services such as Google Docs.

One of the more recent and controversial proposals is the storage of personal medical records on online services. Google [1] and Microsoft [2] are already planning products in the field, and there is a spirited debate about the appropriateness and usefulness of such services.

The two products mentioned above aim to make this  information accessible on the network. Google is developing a front-end for patients, who will be able to add their records and histories to their account and share them with qualified individuals, such as family and doctors. Further integration is planned with other forms of records, such as prescriptions. Google Health, as the product will be known, is planned as an extensible system which will include extensions from third party developers. Microsoft’s offering, HealthVault, includes a secure space to store health information as well as a health-related search engine. Microsoft’s focus, however, appears to be at encouraging outside development, as the software maker has provided $3 million prizes for developers working in the HealthVault framework [3].

On the one hand, people could greatly benefit from immediate access to pertinent medical information. In addition, if allowed to access such systems, doctors and health professionals might be better able to track and treat patients. On the other hand, privacy and security questions dominate the discussion. Can ordinary people trust large companies with their private data? Will the companies abuse or sell this data, or will it target advertisements based on it? What happens if a large system storing this information is hacked or otherwise compromised? Aside from privacy concerns, there are also some legal issues to consider. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), legislated over a decade ago, normally covers the transport and movement of health information. But where do the new services fit?

At this point, there are more questions than answers regarding this new way of exchanging information. Please see the link below for some more details.

[1] http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9880909-7.html?tag=nefd.lede

[2] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2191920,00.asp

[3] http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9877656-7.html