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This weekly blog is to explore the news around the larger issues around Digital Health, data security, data privacy, AI / ML. technology, social media and related matters.
I will also try to highlight ADHA Propaganda when I come upon it.
Just so we keep count, the latest Notes from the ADHA Board were dated 6 December, 2018 and we have seen none since!
It is worth pointing out that it was only in last little while ( beginning end July 2020 ) the ADHA took down the notification regarding the most recent minutes notification. Embarrassed I guess – as they should be!
Note: Appearance here is not to suggest I see any credibility or value in what follows. I will leave it to the reader to decide what is worthwhile and what is not! The point is to let people know what is being said / published that I have come upon.
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Gloves off: Google turns to its users in fight against Australian regulations
By Zoe Samios and Fergus Hunter
August 22, 2020 — 12.00am
Be warned, we are about to escalate this.
That was the message when Google's Australian arm put in a courtesy call to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's office on Monday morning.
Two weeks after the Morrison government and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission unveiled the much-anticipated News Media Bargaining Code, the trillion-dollar digital advertising giant was about to kick off an aggressive public campaign against the sweeping new regulation. It placed a warning message on its search page, visited by millions each month, with a link to an open letter to users. "The way Aussies search every day is at risk from new government regulation," it read. It has also asked YouTube influencers to complain to the government.
The new code will, among other things, force Google and Facebook to strike commercial deals to pay media companies for their news content, snippets of which run on Google’s news page and at the top of search results.
It will also force the digital giants to give media companies advance warnings about any changes to the algorithms that power search results and news feeds and provide information about the collection of user data.
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https://content.iospress.com/articles/information-polity/ip200006
The COVID-19-crisis and the information polity: An overview of responses and discussions in twenty-one countries from six continents
Published: 14 August 2020
Comment: Very useful review – freely accessible.
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Australia – Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan
The Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan provides a framework for collecting the information required to support decision making about COVID-19. It is accompanied by documents that provide the status of the plan's measures.
Downloads
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Australia – Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan
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https://digitalhealth.org.au/blog/economic-recovery-post-covid-19-the-digital-and-data-future/
Economic recovery post COVID-19 – the digital and data future
NORTH Link is holding a free online half-day event on Thursday 27 August (8-12am) titled “Economic recovery post COVID-19, the digital and data future”.
Look out for Institute board members Phil Robinson and Peter Williams who bring their digital health expertise and insights to the event. Peter Williams, who is a Healthcare Advisor at Oracle, is speaking at 10:25am and digital health consultant and advisor Phil Robinson joins the panel discussion at the end of the session.
Event overview
COVID19 has been the “wrecking-ball” that has crashed through the world economy. This crash has crystallised the value of digital and data in our new world. Charting a course in new markets, business models, operations, technology (automation, robotics and IoT) are essential for business’ survival, growth and diversification. We will explore the challenges, opportunities and pathways in the new economy.
This half day event will feature key messages and speakers from industry leaders, a series of practical case studies of work completed through the North and West Melbourne Data Analytics Hub and a panel discussion featuring key executives from tech companies Empirics and Directed.
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https://www.zdnet.com/article/accc-and-google-come-to-blows-over-new-media-bargaining-laws/
ACCC and Google come to blows over new media bargaining laws
Watchdog calls out Google as touting misinformation while the search giant says the new Media Bargaining Code as drafted is unworkable.
By Asha Barbaschow | August 18, 2020 -- 02:35 GMT (12:35 AEST) | Topic: Tech Industry
After Google on Monday published an open letter declaring that Australia's proposed media bargaining laws were unfair and put the "way Aussies' search at risk", the consumer watchdog rebutted, labelling the post as misinformation.
In the letter, Google said the proposed law, the News Media Bargaining Code, would force it to provide users with a "dramatically worse Google Search and YouTube", which could lead to data being handed over to "big news businesses, and would put the free services you use at risk in Australia".
The draft code of practice, published last month by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), adopts a model based on negotiation, mediation, and arbitration to "best facilitate genuine commercial bargaining between parties, allowing commercially negotiated outcomes suited to different business models used by Australian news media businesses".
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Google doubles down on YouTube push against code
Max Mason Media and marketing editor
Aug 21, 2020 – 10.41pm
Google has ramped on its efforts to get its YouTube community to pressure the Australian government to water down a new regulatory code and made its most overt threat yet that it would withdraw some of the user-generated video website's functions in Australia.
It comes as part of an increasingly fiery public campaign by Google against the draft code on conduct legislation, which aims to put a mechanism in place to to deal with the imbalance in bargaining power between Facebook, Google and Australian media companies, forcing the technology giants to pay for journalism on some of their platforms.
In an update by YouTube's creator liason Matt Koval said the proposed code of conduct legislation would have a "negative impact on the creator ecosystem."
Mr Koval said the code would allow Australian news organisations to "demand large payments.
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21 August 2020
My Health Record vs telehealth: a government innovation and investment dilemma
The $2 billion My Health Record has largely been MIA during COVID-19 while the idea to allow doctors use their phone to do a consult may end up as the catalyst for health system transformation.
What is wrong with this picture?
One of our top five all-time trafficked articles is a blog penned just over two years ago by then Kangaroo Island-based rural GP Dr Tim Leeuwenburg titled Why I am opting out of the My Health Record – for now . A lot of what Tim said in that blog still resonates, and that is probably why the story he tells still gets quite a few hits, despite its age and the fact that Tim has moved on from being a rural GP for now. He never did opt in to the MHR as things turned out, and he says he has never used it in his work. But many GPs will tell you Tim is one of the most dedicated, passionate and competent GPs and rural proceduralists they know.
While COVID continues to rage around us, we’ve been reluctant at The Medical Republic to raise the obvious absence of the MHR among the many war stories of COVID-19 emergency management. Even when the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) put out one of its confusing press releases implying there had been a huge surge in MHR use as a result of COVID and quoting statistics that had no referencing baselines for progress and actual meaningful engagement by healthcare professionals, on June 23, we decided to leave it alone. It just seemed a distraction to the main issues at hand, like an argument that just isn’t worth having any more. In July I did a one-hour podcast with ADHA interim CEO Bettina McMahon on all the good stuff the agency was getting done. There turns out to be quite a bit outside of the MHR. I had meant to ask the MHR question, but the topic never came up. That seemed to me to say a lot.
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http://medicalrepublic.com.au/free-webinar-on-the-downsides-of-hospital-digitisation/33283
20 August 2020
Free webinar on the downsides of hospital digitisation
One of the promises of a modern digital hospital set up is the simultaneous management of multiple patients with multiple data points, on many integrated and co-ordinated devices.
The reality has more regularly been a build-up of poorly integrated systems. With multiple digital devices arriving at a patient’s bedside, the potential for fatigue and confusion among the care team is expanding rapidly.
In this interactive webinar hosted by The Medical Republic’s sister publication Wild Health, the expert panel will talk about what progress their hospitals and hospital networks have made in this important emerging area of digital development, the issues they currently face, and how they are planning to solve the increasing complexity their hospitals will face moving forward.
You will have the opportunity to ask questions and participate in the conversation.
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The European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance) is a Global Connector of international networks of Digital Health Ecosystems.
As a partner, RMIT is proud to announce it is hosting the Melbourne Digital Health Ecosystem of the ECHAlliance.
The Melbourne Digital Health Ecosystem is the first Australian ecosystem in the Alliance. Our goal is to support exchange and initiatives, both locally and internationally between policy makers, healthcare providers, researchers, technology disruptors and the community sector.
Through sharing knowledge, best practices on health policy, health models, health innovations, health trends across the globe, the Alliance and Melbourne Digital Health Ecosystem will serve as a gateway to international networks. As a centre of collaboration, the Melbourne Digital Health ecosystem will provide a unique access point for international partnerships, network building and research funding.
Most importantly the Melbourne Digital Health Ecosystem will help break down silos, transform healthcare delivery and spur economic growth in the sector.
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’It’s time to respect us’: Google accused of bullying in new open letter about news code
Yellow warning signs have suddenly appeared almost everywhere online, and Google has been accused of using them as a form of bullying.
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, David Aidone
News Corp Australia Network
August 20, 20208:58am
Google has been slammed in a new open letter for its threats over a plan that would require it to pay for news.
The Australian Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology has taken aim at Google today, labelling yellow warning signs on its website and its recent open letter against the plan as a form of bullying.
Google has activated the alerts in response to a draft code that would require Google and Facebook to pay media companies for their journalism.
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Facebook says it will crack down on QAnon conspiracy theory, stops at ban
By Elizabeth Dwoskin and Isaac Stanley-Becker
August 20, 2020 — 7.03am
Washington: Facebook on Wednesday said it would crack down on the QAnon conspiracy theory but stopped short of an outright ban on activity related to the online movement, whose adherents contend President Donald Trump is battling a cabal of "deep state" saboteurs who worship Satan and traffic children for sex.
The technology giant said in a blog post it would restrict the spread of content related to QAnon, while eliminating online forums altogether if the discussion in them involves potential violence. The enforcement action targeted 3280 pages and groups, as well as 10,000 accounts on Facebook-owned Instagram. A total of 790 groups and 100 pages were fully deleted.
The company declined to say how many Facebook users would be affected by the changes.
The baseless and often mutating QAnon philosophy, which has been identified by the FBI as a potential domestic terrorism threat, has gained prominent backers, including a slew of congressional candidates.
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https://apo.org.au/node/307652
Data trust and data privacy in the COVID19 period
30 Jul 2020
Nicholas Biddle, Ben Edwards, Matthew Gray, Michael Hiscox, Steven McEachern, Kate Sollis
Publisher
Centre for Social Research and Methods (ANU)
COVID-19 Data protection Disease management Infectious diseases Public trust Mobile technology Internet applications Online privacy Australia
Resources
Data trust and data privacy in the COVID19 period
Description
Abstract:
In this paper, we focus on data trust and data privacy, and how attitudes may be changing during the COVID-19 period. We also look at the implications of these changes for the take-up and effectiveness of the COVIDSafe App, a mobile phone-based application that was designed to assist in the identification of people who may have unknowingly come into contact with someone who has been infected by COVID-19. On balance, it would appear that Australians are more trusting of organisations with regards to data privacy and less concerned about their own personal information and data than they were prior to the spread of COVID-19. The major determinant of this change in trust with regards to data was changes in general confidence in government institutions. Despite this improvement in trust with regards to data privacy, trust levels are still low.
Trust in data privacy is strongly predictive of the probability of downloading the app. We also find that the age group with the greatest reported level of downloading was 55 to 74 year olds and those in the most advantaged areas are the most likely to have downloaded. Politically, there were no differences between Labor and Coalition voters though we do find a lower probability for those who would not have voted for one of the two major parties. Finally, we also showed a number of other behavioural and attitudinal determinants of COVIDSafe usage. Those who were generally confident in the government, thought it was likely they would be infected, were less populist, more altruistic, and more patient were all more likely to have used the app.
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https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2000272?query=TOC
When the EMR Stole My Pen
- Ranjana Srivastava, F.R.A.C.P.
“Lost something, Doctor?”
“I think my nice pen slipped under your sheets,” I explain.
Groaning at the thought of moving his diabetic legs, the patient says, “Maybe you should keep your nice pens at home.”
People have been telling me that for years.
My first nice pen was a Sheaffer, a medical school graduation present from a friend. Silver trimmed in gold, it was the first item engraved with my new title of doctor. After everything it took me to get there, I couldn’t leave the pen at home. From my first day of internship, it became my companion and cheerleader. On dull night duty, as I filled out warfarin orders or wrote blood slips, a glance at the gold lettering would remind me that my role mattered. If a patient needed a pen, I’d exhaust all options before reluctantly handing over mine. Australian doctors don’t wear white coats, and my clothes seldom had functional pockets, but protected in my palm, my dutiful Sheaffer lasted 2 years before I lost it during a code. I felt simultaneously annoyed, guilty, and bereft. A voice in my head said it was only a matter of time before a nice pen went missing, but I loved to write, and in those days — with paper records, paper scripts, paper everything — there was a lot to write. So after some searching, I bought myself an elegant Waterman.
If an engraved pen could be lost, an unengraved one stood no chance, but I managed to hold on to my Waterman for a few years, until a friend upgraded it to a sleek Cross. By then, I was a fellow whose credibility rested on writing meaningful notes on the 30 or 40 patients I saw each day. With a nice pen, work never felt like a chore. I loved the swish of pen on paper, the gel technology that felt like ink without the mess. The act of writing parsed my thinking and made me more deliberate. Why would anyone leave a nice pen at home with all this writing to be done at work?
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https://www.croakey.org/telehealth-is-an-opportunity-australia-cannot-miss/
Telehealth is an opportunity Australia cannot miss
Nicole MacKee on: August 18, 2020In: aged care, Coronavirus outbreak 2019-2020, health reform, quality and safety of health care, telehealth
Introduction by Croakey: With just six weeks until telehealth Medicare Benefits Scheme item numbers are set to expire, health groups are calling for the Federal Government to commit to a continuation of telehealth and to a broader digital health model for Australia.
The telehealth item numbers, which were swiftly introduced in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, have been widely welcomed by health professionals and patients alike. As reported in Croakey this week, telehealth has also been crucial in ensuring greater access to mental health services during the pandemic.
Last month, the Federal Health Minister introduced restrictions requiring GP providers to have an existing and continuous relationship with a patient in order to provide telehealth services. These restrictions were welcomed by the Royal Australian College of General Practice and the AMA, which said the changes addressed the “disturbing emergence” of pop-up models of care.
However, others condemned the move, saying that it restricted access to groups that already faced barriers to care, including people in rural and remote areas, young people who may not have a regular GP, and those needing access to sexual and reproductive health services.
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AI that can detect hoax calls put through its paces in new trial
By Stuart Layt
August 19, 2020 — 10.59am
Artificial intelligence technology developed by a Queensland researcher to identify hoax calls is set to be tested at some emergency centres, potentially freeing up operators to deal with real emergencies.
University of Southern Queensland computer scientist Dr Rajib Rana has spent the past three years developing the artificial intelligence algorithms required to detect whether someone is genuinely in trouble or whether they are playing a time-wasting prank.
Dr Rana said the "distress inference system" was designed to detect the level of distress in a person’s voice, and assess whether it is in line with the sort of incident they are describing.
"When people are in real distress there are physiological changes which happen in speech production, like your mouth dries out, your breathing rate increases, that sort of thing," he said.
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http://medicalrepublic.com.au/gp-study-looks-at-impact-of-education-and-my-health-record/33160
17 August 2020
GP study looks at impact of education and My Health Record
The CHIME GP study is a project to help GPs use the latest evidence around prescribing, pathology and radiology ordering to improve patient outcomes using My Health Record.
CHIME (Clinical and Healthcare Improvement through My Health Record Usage and Education in General Practice) looks at potential change in GP behaviour both before and after education around de-prescribing and rational use of pathology and diagnostic imaging ordering.
The education also incorporates use of My Health Record (MHR) in an everyday clinical setting to assist GPs in avoiding duplicate or unnecessary tests, preventing the pitfalls of polypharmacy, and improving delivery of patient-centred care.
CHIME-GP is a CPD Accredited Activity* (formerly 40 category 1 points) and recognises your time with a $200 (ex GST) payment.
This interactive education series will be conducted by Medcast and evaluated by the University of Wollongong (UOW) on behalf of the funding body, the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA). Your contact details will not be supplied to UOW or ADHA.
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18 August 2020
Digital Health’s COVID pivot: What stays, what drifts back to the bad old days?
As the emergency of COVID fades and the collaborative dynamic that has advanced digital health eventually returns to normal, which changes will we be able to keep?
And why has our health system been transformed by a hastily turned around innovation requiring no more than a phone line, while a big-ticket multi-billion-dollar digital health infrastructure project has barely made a ripple?
We’ll ask these questions at a COVID DIGITAL PIVOT WEBINAR on Tuesday 25 August, 11am – REGISTRATION HERE.
“There’s opportunity for health systems to leverage from this crisis both abroad and in Australia – to pick up some significant learnings, such as the ethos of agility and working together across traditional boundaries, both professional and governmental and engaging industry in a novel way.”
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https://www.ausdocjobs.com.au/article-details/20/6-tips-for-effective-telehealth-consults/
6 tips for effective telehealth consults
Written by Clifford Fram
Published 13 Aug 2020
Telehealth has come a long way since March when the MBS introduced new item numbers for GP consultations in a funding program worth more than $650 million.
Over the months, doctors have participated in millions of telehealth consultations and Ausdoc.JOBS has experienced a surge in interest in telehealth positions, both from advertisers and applicants.
We asked practising Queensland GP and telehealth entrepreneur Dr Jared Dart to share his thoughts on what makes a good telehealth consult.
It's a learning curve, he says. The first priority is to ensure you have the right technology. Not only the correct computers, webcams, speakers and apps. It could also be as simple as having enough telephone lines and internet bandwidth.
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Google scare campaign ramps up
Tech giant Google has escalated its attack on Australia’s competition watchdog, denying it has spread misinformation and reiterating that its Search and YouTube products are “at risk in Australia”.
As The Australian reported the consumer watchdog dismissed as “misinformation’’ warnings from Google that proposed laws, that would force it to negotiate a payment to news organisations to include their journalists’ work on its services, would lead to a “dramatically worse Google Search and YouTube’’.
Google has hit back however, with the company declaring in a
statement on Tuesday it “strongly disagrees” that it was spreading
misinformation.
We are concerned that our view of the Code has been represented this way during
a phase of public consultation,” the company said.
“[The ACCC] incorrectly implied that Google indicated in its Open Letter that it would start charging users for Search and YouTube. Google does not intend to charge users for these free services.”
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Google knows your every move even with ‘location history’ off
7:19AM August 18, 2020
Android handsets are tracking where users are, and sending that information to Google, even if location history settings are turned off and the incognito privacy feature is turned on.
Tests conducted by The Australian in Sydney — in which information being sent to Google was duplicated and analysed — show the technology giant tracks the phone’s movement even when those settings, ostensibly meant to protect the privacy of users, are activated.
Australian Privacy Foundation chairman David Vaile said the findings were disturbing, and Android users were being misled to think that the incognito privacy feature, where the device does not record any activity, meant that Google was not tracking the phone’s location either.
“They’ve proven time and time again that they’re unwilling to accept restraints on their data-collection practices,” Mr Vaile said. “They have essentially kept harvesting the data while giving a misleading impression that they have obeyed your wishes.”
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Google attacked for threat made to Australians over free services being put ‘at risk’
Tech giant Google has been attacked after warning millions of Australians that new laws will put its free services ‘at risk’.
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson
News Corp Australia Network
August 18, 202010:43am
Google is sending “warnings” to millions of Australians this week in what looks like the start of a fierce campaign against new rules that could force the firm to pay for the news it uses on its platform.
And the trillion-dollar company is making bold claims to users: alleging proposed laws from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will put everything from users’ privacy to the viability of Google’s free services at risk.
But ACCC chairman Rod Sims branded some of these warnings as “misinformation”.
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Google spreading 'misinformation' about new rules, says ACCC chief
By Cara Waters
August 17, 2020 — 6.46pm
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chief Rod Sims has accused Google of spreading misinformation after the search giant claimed a new regulatory code could jeopardise its free services in Australia and increase privacy risks.
Google on Monday intensified its opposition to a new bargaining code, proposed by the ACCC, that would force internet giants to negotiate with media companies to pay for their news content.
The search advertising giant, which generated revenue of $4 billion in Australia last year, placed a warning message on its main search page about the new code, and used an open letter to argue the changes would "dramatically worsen" the experience for users.
But Mr Sims said Google was spreading "misinformation" and its assertions were incorrect. "Google will not be required to charge Australians for the use of its free services such as Google Search and YouTube, unless it chooses to do so," Mr Sims said. "Google will not be required to share any additional user data with Australian news businesses unless it chooses to do so."
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/accc-accuses-google-of-seeding-media-code-misinformation-551843
ACCC accuses Google of seeding media code 'misinformation'
By Justin Hendry on Aug 17, 2020 6:04PM
Rejects web giant's claims.
Australia’s competition watchdog has accused Google of spreading ‘misinformation’ after the web giant weaponised its search engine to warn users of so-called risks with the country’s proposed media code.
Google on Monday intensified its campaign against proposed regulations by using pop-up ads to direct its Australian users to an open letter claiming "the way Aussies use Google is at risk".
The letter, which was penned by Google Australia’s chief Mel Silva and contains a large yellow warning sign, makes a number of claims including that the news media bargaining code could put an end to free Google services.
It also suggested the regulation would force Google to provide Australian users with a “dramatically worse Google Search and YouTube”, and could see consumer data provided to media organisations.
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https://www.afr.com/technology/sims-accuses-google-of-misinformation-20200817-p55me7
Sims accuses Google of misinformation
Natasha Gillezeau Reporter
Aug 17, 2020 – 4.20pm
Competition regulator Rod Sims has accused Google of spreading misinformation in its pushback on proposed law changes designed to correct the power imbalance between technology giants and media companies.
The search and advertising behemoth has warned its users and content creators, who earn money from videos hosted on YouTube, that it could pass on the costs of a new bargaining code proposed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Under the draft code Google and Facebook will be forced to fairly pay Australian media companies for the use of news content on digital platforms or face hefty fines for non-compliance.
In two letters published via the Google Australia blog on Monday, the company argued that the code "would force us to provide you with a dramatically worse Google Search and YouTube" and that Google would consider cutting payments to local YouTubers.
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Google sends open letter to Aussies, threatening to change ‘free services’ due to news code
Google says everything from its ‘free services’ to its search results could change because of a ruling that it should pay for news it uses.
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson News Corp Australia Network August 17, 202011:29am
Tech giant Google is sending an “open letter” to millions of its Australian users today, warning their search results, personal data, and free services will be put at risk by a ruling from Australia’s competition watchdog that the company should pay for the news it uses.
The multibillion-dollar tech firm’s missive claims internet and video search results would be “dramatically worse” by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s news bargaining code, revealed two weeks ago, and claimed “the way Aussies search every day on Google is at risk”.
The company appeared to stop short of threatening to pull out of Australia, however, or stop showing Australian news in its search results as some experts predicted.
Both Google and Facebook face changes as part of the ACCC’s news bargaining code, which followed an 18-month investigation into digital platforms in Australia and their impact on journalism and advertising.
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https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=809431a4-23a5-47e1-a0f0-2f661cdf04ca&
Is the clock ticking down for Tik Tok?
Australia, China August 13 2020
Australia is unlikely to match controversial moves in America over the compulsory acquisition of Chinese-owned social media app Tik Tok.
Brisbane cyber lawyer Sandy Zhang says amid claims the video sharing app may be a data gathering tool of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Australia is unlikely to follow an American move to compulsorily force Tik Tok to sell its business to an American company, or face a ban if it refuses.
But a demand by US President Donald Trump that the US government would expect a substantial slice of the price for such a sale has evoked alarm in many quarters over so-called Mafia tactics.
Mr Zhang, a Senior Associate with Brisbane Intellectual Property and Privacy law firm EAGLEGATE Lawyers, which handles matters of Commercial, Patent law, Copyright law, Trade Marks, Domain names and general Cyber law says there is no precedent for this sort of action.
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https://apo.org.au/node/307517
Mobile health apps that help with COVID-19 management: scoping review
23 May 2020
John Leon Singh, Danielle Couch, Kevin Yap
Journal JMIR Nursing
Resources Mobile health apps that help with COVID-19 management: scoping review
Description
Abstract:
Background: Mobile health (mHealth) apps have played an important role in mitigating the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response. However, there is no resource that provides a holistic picture of the available mHealth apps that have been developed to combat this pandemic.
Objective: Our aim is to scope the evidence base on apps that were developed in response to COVID-19.
Methods: Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for scoping reviews, literature searches were conducted on Google Search, Google Scholar, and PubMed using the country’s name as keywords and “coronavirus,” “COVID-19,” “nCOV19,” “contact tracing,” “information providing apps,” “symptom tracking,” “mobile apps,” “mobile applications,” “smartphone,” “mobile phone,” and “mHealth.” Countries most affected by COVID-19 and those that first rolled out COVID-19–related apps were included.
Results: A total of 46 articles were reviewed from 19 countries, resulting in a total of 29 apps. Among them, 15 (52%) apps were on contact tracing, 7 (24%) apps on quarantine, 7 (24%) on symptom monitoring, and 1 (3%) on information provision. More than half (n=20, 69%) were from governmental sources, only 3 (10%) were from private organisations, and 3 (10%) from universities. There were 6 (21%) apps available on either Android or iOS, and 10 (34%) were available on both platforms. Bluetooth was used in 10 (34%) apps for collecting data, 12 (41%) apps used GPS, and 12 (41%) used other forms of data collection.
Conclusions: This review identifies that the majority of COVID-19 apps were for contact tracing and symptom monitoring. However, these apps are effective only if taken up by the community. The sharing of good practices across different countries can enable governments to learn from each other and develop effective strategies to combat and manage this pandemic.
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https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2020/32/video-communication-for-gps-and-patients/
Video communication for GPs and patients
Andrew Baird
GPs have a major role in managing most people with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). They also have a major role in managing people who have the epiphenomena of COVID-19: psychosocial distress, adjustment difficulties, and mental illness. Video consultations are appropriate for managing these people.
Although the media focus is on people who are hospitalised with COVID-19 and on people who have died of COVID-19, most people who have the virus are in the community for the duration of their illness; they self-manage their illness at home.
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the aftermath, GPs have an ongoing role in providing comprehensive, continuing care to their patients, their patients’ families and their patients’ communities. This includes providing acute care, chronic disease management, and preventive activities. Telehealth will have an ongoing role in many facets of patient care in general practice.
And yet Medicare data for the months of May and June 2020 tell us that video consultations are not being taken up in the numbers we might expect. The data show that for non-face-to-face attendances by GPs at levels B, C and D, 97% were by phone and just 3% were by video.
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COVID-19: unlocking benefits of cloud-based diabetes monitoring
Neale Cohen
THE COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted almost every aspect of conventional health care delivery. As an endocrinologist, I was initially concerned that the lockdown would be the perfect environment for previously well managed patients with diabetes to lose their trajectory. However, it has provided a unique opportunity to see what technology has to offer in the real world for the management of diabetes.
More than 1.7 million Australians are living with diabetes and were included among those most at risk of severe COVID-19 complications. As people around Australia were encouraged to stay at home between March and May 2020, this new way of life presented a bigger challenge to those living with diabetes, a chronic and lifelong condition.
The pandemic inspired the rise of telehealth, which became an attractive option for health care professionals when a face-to-face appointment was not possible. Telehealth is a powerful alternative and there is growing interest in technologies that support remote appointments.
Living with diabetes involves regular monitoring of blood glucose levels and recording these data. These records help health care professionals make informed decisions about their patients’ treatment and care. Without these data and without seeing the patient in person, it can be tricky to update their treatment plan or offer personalised advice.
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Comments more than welcome!
David.
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