Happy Friday. It’s time once again to take a look at what you may have missed in the world of technology outside healthcare.
Here, we present this week’s list of five interesting general technology stories from the past seven days that people in healthcare should pay attention to. These issues could have an impact on health tech in the future.
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
1. “Former NSA Chief Urges U.S.-Silicon Valley Deal on Encryption” (Bloomberg)
The U.S. government and Silicon Valley need to find common ground over concerns about encryption before another significant terrorist attack raises the stakes for each side, the former head of the U.S. National Security Agency said.
”Right now, we have an opportunity to do this in an unemotional manner,” Keith Alexander, the NSA’s former director, said in an interview to air April 10 on Bloomberg TV’s Studio 1.0. ”We should take that opportunity and solve these problems to the best of our ability. It won’t be perfect. But get reasonable people to the table.”
2. “Panama Papers Breach Reveals Astonishingly Lax Network Security” (eWeek)
My first reaction after reading accounts about the breach of a vast trove of financial and related information from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca was to channel John Le Carré and his famed Panamanian tailor/spy Harry Pendel.
However, the reality is much less interesting. The story is actually about a company with third-rate security that gets exploited by a routine hack
A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
3. “HP unveils the world’s thinnest laptop” (CNN)
At four-tenths of an inch thick, and weighing a little less than two and a half pounds, it’s thinner and lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air. (It weighs slightly more than the new MacBook and Lenovo Yoga 900S).
HP gave its new portable computer a copper sheen to appeal to anyone who loves gold gadgets or devices that look like jewelry.
The guts of the new Spectre are meant to attract people who care about power: The Spectre boasts an Intel Core i7 processor, 8 GB of memory, and about 10 hours of battery life. And for music lovers, HP tapped Bang & Olufsen to give its laptop cred in the audio department
4. “Justice Department keeps pushing Apple to unlock iPhone in New York drug case” (TechCrunch)
The fight between the government and Apple is not over. While the most controversial case is now over, the Department of Justice keeps pushing Apple on another case. The government still wants Apple to unlock an iPhone 5s that belonged to a meth drug dealer in Brooklyn.
5. “Why Verizon wants to buy Yahoo” (Vox)
AOL has a lot in common with Yahoo. Both companies are well-known internet brands whose best days are a decade or more in the past. Like AOL, Yahoo makes a lot of its money by creating internet content and selling ads against it.
When Verizon purchased AOL, it emphasized the company’s portfolio of media brands, including TechCrunch and the Huffington Post. But as Matt Yglesias wrote for Vox last year, Verizon may have also been interested in AOL’s ad technology business — and in particular how Verizon could use data gathered from its vast broadband and mobile networks to help AOL content companies target ads more effectively.
Either way, if Verizon was happy with its AOL acquisition, buying Yahoo, a company with a similar portfolio of technology, media, and advertising products, seems like a logical next step.
Photo: Flickr user Nick Carter
