“Sloppiness and privacy indifference will reduce the utility of the health tech market.”
That is the unvarnished opinion of eldercare industry analyst Laurie Orlov, founder of market research firm Aging in Place Technology Watch and the related Boomer Health Tech Watch.
Writing on her Boomer Health Tech Watch blog this week, Orlov said that people’s “most precious data is not protected.” She was referring to consumer health information stored online, on a variety of platforms, from social media to health insurers to purveyors of wearable health and fitness devices.
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“Don’t you find it interesting that tech companies, from Facebook (currently pursued for privacy violations by European courts) to Fitbits, from health plans to health apps, have added recent new, uh, capabilities to address privacy?” Orlov wondered in the blog post. She noted that Fitbit responded to an inquiry about privacy by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) a year ago by hiring a lobbyist.
Meantime, health insurer Anthem and other victims of hacks involving the personal data of millions of people “find [their] reputation unscathed,” Orlov said. She seemed flabbergasted:
So your insurer tells you to download its app, unkindly viewed by reviewers. Maybe wait just a bit on that. Medical identity theft is rising, and of course, damage is costly to undo. But how to protect patients and verify their correct identities? Naturally, they’re looking into biometrics, including facial recognition. Should be straightforward. Just ask Facebook.
Is she right? Comment below.
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Photo: Twitter user Laurie Orlov
