I’m worried about what Google decides it can do with that data in aggregate, or by compiling it into “risk groups.” Or finding out 10 years later my SS# in supposedly anonymous data was accidentally associated with the wrong risk group, contributing to a denial of coverage when most needed.

Even with the most stringent protections in place, putting all of this data in one place has both risks and rewards. I’m worried too many people discuss the rewards (look, I can share all of my health data with any doc in the world!) with minimal acknowledgment of the risks.

I agree that I wouldn’t trust my health information to an online source. Hackers etc etc etc. One thing that would worry me would be the fineprint on the Google statement of confidentiality. The statement of confidentiality on Gmail isn’t exactly inspiring, for example. I do tend to think that the Google staff have better things to do than to trawl through my personal emails, but I do indeed take the point that if there were easy access to personal health information that there would indeed be a significant market for that. Let the consumer beware, I suppose.

While Google thinks *you* should be in charge of your own data, that data still doesn’t reside with you — it resides with Google. And guess what people would be willing to pay Google to get access to even anonymized aggregate forms of that data? Billions.

yeah, I agree. of course… one might feel the same way about entrusting ones health information to psychcentral…