The Mainstream Media is Noticing What a Mess e-Health is in Australia.

Life Matters on ABC Radio National has struck again.

The following was broadcast this morning (Monday, Feb 22, 2010).

Google and privacy

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The Federal Government's proposal to create an e-health number for every Australian has renewed debate over how our personal medical information is collected and distributed.

But the global company Google also collects and controls massive amounts of personal information.

Google has just launched its new social networking site - Buzz - for the more than 150 million people who use gmail, Google's email service.

Some commentators are concerned it's another step toward an unhealthy level of surveillance and data collection.

Social researcher Vivienne Waller raises these concerns, we also hear from David Vaile from the Australian Privacy Foundation.

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Guests

Dr Vivienne Waller
Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology

David Vaile
Vice-Chair, Australian Privacy Foundation

Further Information

Australlian Privacy Foundation

Dr Vivienne Waller

Publications

Title: Why is Google Buzzing
Author: Dr Vivienne Waller
Publisher: Inside Story
URL: http://inside.org.au/why-is-google-buzzing/

Presenter

Jane Caro

Producer

Amanda Armstrong

Story Researcher and Producer

Jane Shields

- End Program Announcement.

While the ‘slip up’ with the way Google introduced the Buzz social networking feature of Gmail is covered in some detail a key area of the discussion covers issues in the e-Health domain.

David Vaile made e-Health related points as follows:

1. Health Information now exists in paper and electronic records in a range of places and the way they are accessible is progressively being made more difficult for patients to keep track of as more of the information moves into electronic form.

2. The Government is wanting to accelerate this migration, but does not seem to want to wait for the final report on Privacy from the Australian Law Reform Commission.

3. While they have this objective the Government is providing very fragmented information on what they are planning to do, how individuals will have their privacy protected and so on.

4. The lack of a clear overall vision as to what is being planned, the lack of consumer consultation on the directions being pursued and the absence of information as to how privacy is to be address is a major problem for the Government’s plans.

(Apologies if not quite as presented, the thrust is as stated but there is not a transcript available).

All I can say is that he is spot on. This fragmented, secretive and incoherent approach is utterly unacceptable.

It is well worth a listen to the 15-20 minute discussion. Besides the e-Health material the stuff about Google is also interesting.

David.