Business

Google Health Shows its Face

We’ve gotten an early glimpse of Google Health from Google Blogoscoped, and it looks like privacy advocates’ worst nightmare. The site, which is expected to launch "early" this year, basically provides a centralized place for users to store medical information, including medications, allergies, surgeries, immunizations, family history, and so on. (Anyone interested can still find […]

GooglehealthWe've gotten an early glimpse of Google Health from Google Blogoscoped, and it looks like privacy advocates' worst nightmare.

The site, which is expected to launch "early" this year, basically provides a centralized place for users to store medical information, including medications, allergies, surgeries, immunizations, family history, and so on. (Anyone interested can still find a cached version of the login page floating around.)

The login page says users can:

  • Build online health records that belong to you
  • Download medical records from doctors and pharmacies
  • Get personalized health guidance and relevant news
  • Find qualified doctors and connect to time-saving services
  • Share selected information with family or caregivers

We haven't actually been in the beta site, but from an outsider's perspective, it looks like Microsoft's HealthVault, a competitive offering, does a better job of addressing privacy concerns head on.

In the "Health Privacy Commitment," promoted at the top of the HealthVault sign up page, Microsoft promises:

  • The Microsoft HealthVault record you create is controlled by you.
  • You decide what goes into your HealthVault record.
  • You decide who can see and use your information on a case-by-case basis.
  • We do not use your health information for commercial purposes unless we ask and you clearly tell us we may.