Google’s DeepMind facing data privacy lawsuit

5

October

2021

4/5 (1)

From data to app to lawsuit

2015: Alphabet Inc.’s British artificial intelligence subsidiary DeepMind obtains private health records of 1.6 million patients from the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. 

This data was to be used to develop the ‘Streams’ app which aims to alert, detect, and diagnose kidney injuries. The app was being developed for use by doctors to detect acute kidney injury. This app was already being used by the Royal free with great praise.

From DeepMinds point of view, they are making use of valuable data in order to progress healthcare and save lives. From Royal Free’s point of view, they are enabling this by sharing this data and then using the app created by this to treat patients. However, for some citizens, this seems like a breach of data privacy.

The British law firm Mishcon de Reya has filed a class-action lawsuit against DeepMind to represent Andrew Prismall and the other 1.6 million patients whose data was shared. 

Who is at fault?

Something I find quite interesting about this case is that DeepMind is accused of being at fault rather than the Royal Free, who shared the data in the first place. Although the Streams app was developed by DeepMind, the app was a collaboration between DeepMind and Royal Free and could not have succeeded without both of their inputs.

I believe that both players are to blame in this situation and that DeepMind can not be put at fault alone. Who do you believe is at fault in this situation?

How can we prevent this in the future?

For such situations, a healthcare system with strong regulations regarding data privacy, and healthcare providers who abide by such regulations, would largely diminish the threat of major tech firms such as Alphabet. However, too many regulations can inhibit innovation in some situations. Finding a balance between innovation and safety is a challenge that many industries and regulators struggle with worldwide.

I believe that it is no easy task to find such a balance. There is a growing number of factors influencing a push for both regulation and free innovation as digital information becomes one of the most important assets for innovative development. Experts on data privacy and innovation must come together to form regulations that can foster safe innovation.

What do you think should be done to foster safe innovation in the information era?

References:

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40483202

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58761324

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/01/google-deepmind-face-lawsuit-over-data-deal-with-britains-nhs.html

https://deepmind.com/

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My vision of the medical treatment industry in Germany in the year 2050 – Utopia or rather a dystopia?

9

October

2019

5/5 (2) The problems in the German medical treatment industry are multifarious (Müller, 2018). Besides having unnecessary and badly executed medical treatments, medicine is costly (Tautz, 2018) and people from the countryside are suffering from a decreasing number of medical care due to the rural exodus of many doctors (Kölsch, 2018). For example, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has a need for doctoral replacement of around 25% because of the previously mentioned reasons (Korzilius, 2008). Nonetheless, not only the countryside is suffering from an undersupply of doctors as 52 000 doctors are expected to retire in Germany until 2020 (DAZ, 2010), but also hospitals are missing 80 000 caregivers currently (Heine, 2018). Furthermore, the absence of IT-networks or standards for data transfer (Banse, 2018) are fundamental reasons for inefficiencies and a poor allocation of resources in the Germany medical treatment industry (SVZ, 2017).

However, change drivers such as the technological development, digitization and new customer needs could potentially enable an enhanced medical treatment in the future (Gerst, 2015). First, the E-Health trend impacts the interaction between patient and service provider and simplifies the self-management of the patient via (mobile) health applications (Wicks, 2014). Secondly, technological developments such as the advancements in big data analysis, self-learning AI deep learning algorithms or the digitization in general allow an improvement in the analysis of patient data, better forecasts, prevention of upcoming illnesses and a rectified interconnectivity between the stakeholders in the medical treatment field (Ehneß, 2018). Additionally, the technological development also offers advancements on the hardware side. For example, hyperloop systems or drones could potentially allow a different medical treatment infrastructure (Rosser, 2018). Last but not least, biotechnical developments in genetic manipulation (Miller, 2018) or in reproduction of organs could facilitate a lifesaving opportunity for patients (Wallace, 2018).

In the following part I will elaborate on my vision for the medical treatment in Germany in the year 2050. In order to empower a vital discussion, I would be keen on knowing if you can identify with my vision of medical treatment in the year 2050. Ask yourself, if ethical aspects such as morality or freedom are considered.

1. Home (-station) treatment
The HomeStation is an interactive diagnostic and robotic system for home use. It can take over general medical tasks, replaces or supports nursing staff and thus guarantees 24/7 medical care. Part of that home treatment is the use of wearables, for example electronic medical tattoos or sensors, which are on the one hand able to measure data regarding blood sugar, respiratory rate etc. (Kraft, 2019) and are on the other hand able to transmit that data to the relevant device or doctor. The role of the doctor will be taken by a robot (Yasa, 2018) who will consult the patient based on 24/7 tracked data. In addition, the robot performs minor medical treatments such as blood sampling or vaccinations. Finally, a 3D-printers ensures an immediate supply of medication, prevents drug abuse and provides better drug treatment through networking with other systems (Soleil, 2019).

2. Stationary care
Stationary care includes supra regional hubs, local hospitals and hubs of expertise for special medical fields. These are connected via drones and an underground network of hyperloops to ensure a fast and efficient treatment of every patient, independent of the location of the patient. Treatment at the surgery will be performed by surgical robots (Crawford, 2016), which are more precise, faster and risk-free. Therefore, badly executed medical treatments can be avoided. Additionally, due to the development in biotech, new organs can be delivered on demand and personalized (Pollack, 2018). A further benefit of the advancements in biotech is the prenatal and postnatal repair of severe genetic defects through genetic manipulation (Sakuma and Yamamoto, 2018).

By using this vision as a guiding principle, the medical treatment industry improves in terms of interconnectivity, flexibility, resource allocation, quality, costs and equality of treatment. Nevertheless, the risks are ubiquitous as there are side and ethical effects of genetic manipulation, as well as a reduction of human individuality by using robots. Therefore, the question arises if humankind should detach itself from its natural state and “design” people by reproducing organs? I am really looking forward hearing your opinion on this very relevant topic.

References:
Banse, P. (2018) Digitalisierung der Medizin – Das deutsche Gesundheitswesen ist zu wenig vernetzt. Available at: https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/digitalisierung-der-medizin-das-deutsche-gesundheitswesen.976.de.html?dram:article_id=413494 (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Crawford, M. (2016) Top 6 Robotic Applications in Medicine – ASME. Available at: https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/top-6-robotic-applications-in-medicine (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

DAZ (2010) Neue Studie zum Ärztemangel: Knapp 52.000 Ärzte gehen bis 2020 in Ruhestand. Available at: https://www.deutsche-apotheker-zeitung.de/news/artikel/2010/09/03/knapp-52-000-aerzte-gehen-bis-2020-in-ruhestand (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Ehneß, S. (2019) Wie sieht die Medizin der Zukunft aus? Available at: https://www.healthcare-computing.de/wie-sieht-die-medizin-der-zukunft-aus-a-833099/ (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Gerst, T. (2015) Zukunft der Medizin: Trendstudie will den Weg weisen. Available at: https://www.aerzteblatt.de/archiv/171346/Zukunft-der-Medizin-Trendstudie-will-den-Weg-weisen (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Heine, H. (2018) Personalmangel in Krankenhäusern: 35,7 Millionen Überstunden – Politik – Tagesspiegel. Available at: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/personalmangel-in-krankenhaeusern-35-7-millionen-ueberstunden/22706004.html (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Kölsch, T. (2018) Medizinischer Nachwuchs: Landflucht und Landarzt-Mangel. Available at: https://www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de/ratgeber/fit-und-gesund/landflucht-und-landarzt-mangel_aid-43810019 (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Korzilius, H. (2008) Hausärztemangel in Deutschland: Die große Landflucht. Available at: https://www.aerzteblatt.de/archiv/59015/Hausaerztemangel-in-Deutschland-Die-grosse-Landflucht (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Kraft, D. (2019) 12 innovations that will revolutionize the future of medicine, National Geographic magazine. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2019/01/12-innovations-technology-revolutionize-future-medicine (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Miller, J. (2018) The Future of Medicine. Available at: https://hms.harvard.edu/news/future-medicine (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Müller, T. (2018) Gesundheitssystem Deutschland: Trotz hoher Gesundheitsausgaben – bei der Lebenserwartung hinken wir hinterher. Available at: https://www.aerztezeitung.de/medizin/krankheiten/herzkreislauf/article/976013/deutschland-hohe-gesundheitsausgaben-und-geringe-lebenserwartung.html (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Rosser, J. C. et al. (2018) ‘Surgical and Medical Applications of Drones: A Comprehensive Review’, JSLS : Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. doi: 10.4293/JSLS.2018.00018.

Sakuma, T. and Yamamoto, T. (2018) ‘Genome editing for dissecting and curing human genetic diseases’, Journal of Human Genetics, 63(2), p. 105. doi: 10.1038/s10038-017-0380-0.

Soleil, V. (2019) 10 Possible Medical Treatments of the Future. Life Advancer. Available at: https://www.lifeadvancer.com/possible-future-medical-treatments/ (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

SVZ (2017) ‘Ländervergleich: Medizinische Versorgung: Gut ausgestattet, aber ineffizient. Available at: https://www.svz.de/deutschland-welt/politik/medizinische-versorgung-gut-ausgestattet-aber-ineffizient-id18296516.html (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Szent-Ivanyi, T. (2014) Unnötige Todesfälle in deutschen Kliniken. Available at: https://www.fr.de/ratgeber/gesundheit/unnoetige-todesfaelle-deutschen-kliniken-11233271.html (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Tautz, D. (2018) Gesundheitssystem: Hohe Kosten, trotzdem Mittelmaß. Available at: https://www.zeit.de/wissen/gesundheit/2018-03/gesundheitssystem-deutschland-bruttoinlandsprodukt-lebenserwartung (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Wallace, L. (2018) Reproductive tech will let future humans inhabit the body they truly want, Clinical Endocrinology. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2009.03625.x.

Wicks, P. et al. (2014) ‘Innovations in e-health’, Quality of Life Research. doi: 10.1007/s11136-013-0458-x.

Yasa, D. (2018) Why robots could soon replace our doctors. Available at: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/health/body-soul-daily/why-robots-could-soon-replace-our-doctors/news-story/9c33db2f25e0fff6184603b38cdc641f (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

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I Just Want To Make You Sweat

21

October

2018

5/5 (1) Dreaded by many, probably only loved by your slightly terrifying physician-assistant: blood tests. What if we told you no needles need to be involved?

Researchers from the University of Glasgow have developed a sensor that could base diagnosis on the pH levels in the wearer’s sweat. The researchers explain that human sweat contains physiological information that is similar to that of blood, without breaking into one’s skin. The square centimetre device is claimed to diagnose and monitor conditions such as diabetes, certain types of cancer and kidney disease simply from the sweat that is piling up on your skin. Apart from disease diagnosis, sweat is also a good indicator for activity intensity and dehydration levels. Therefore, the device will not only be for the ill, but it will also provide added value for health and fitness freaks. What if you have a sedentary lifestyle? Little sweat is needed to measure the pH levels and in extreme cases sweating can be provoked by ‘Iontophoresis’. (Dang, Manjakkal, Navaraj, Lorenzelli, Vinciguerra, Dahiya, 2018)

Accompanying the device, the data is transmitted to an app that lets the users track their data to gather deeper insights on the development of aforementioned diseases. However, the development of the device and accompanying infrastructure is still in its infancy. Impact will be made once either one of the existing players in the wearables market starts exploiting its use by integrating it into their product lines, or when new entrants to the market of wearables start creating wearables with integrated pH level measurers. This allows the new entrants to enter a niche market of for example diabetes patients and while they continue to improve their product move onto the mainstream market.

Once these types of sensors become standard in the wearables industry, a significant value will be added to what can be measured nowadays. Right now, wearables are mostly limited to track activity, heartrate and temperatures. With the integration of sweat monitors, a new step will be taken towards integrated health where the users of wearables are actively involved in diagnosing developing diseases and monitoring existing conditions.

W. Dang, L. Manjakkal, W.T. Navaraj, L. Lorenzelli, V. Vinciguerra, R. Dahiya (2018). Stretchable wireless system for sweat pH monitoring, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Volume 107, 2018, Pages 192-202.

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V is for Verily – Alphabet using data for healthcare

11

October

2016

4.88/5 (8) How can the technological expertise of Google be used to improve people’s lives? What are the future trends in HealthTech?

Imagine a chemist and an engineer and a doctor and a behavioral scientist, all working together to truly understand health and to better prevent, detect, and manage disease.

– This is what Verily is all about.

Verily was formerly a division of Google[x] and is now an independent company of Alphabet officially founded in December 2015. Its mission is to employ technology to uncover new truths about health and life science. What is most interesting about this company is its multidisciplinary team: it is composed of experts turning ideas into products by cross-pollinating medicine, engineering, and data science. As an example, they have already produced a smart contact lens for diabetics that continuously monitors glucose in tears (instead of having to prick their fingers to test their blood glucose levels).

 

What does Verily deal with?

The company targets health issues affecting millions, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental health. It is organized in four business units: hardware, software, clinical, and science. This is not the first time that Google deals with health issues, and indeed Verily was previously known as Google Life Science.

 

The software Business Unit

Of particular interest for our field of study, the software team is composed of engineering and data gurus who intend to better predict, diagnose, and improve treatments of diseases. Wearable technology is very useful in the prediction phase. The collection of psychological, behavioural, biological, and environmental variables could result in a more detailed patient-segmentation analysis, and allows to gain more knowledge about a disease and why it progresses differently among individuals. This, in turn, gives the possibility to better tailor treatments, and to personalize them based on the specific needs of the individuals.

There is a lot of information residing in our bodies – from our genes to our sleep patterns. The software business unit tries to use this information by developing products, platforms, and computational algorithms to improve people’s lives and to increase patients’ empowerment. In this way, people do not need to spend as much time in hospitals and can get the right medications, while avoiding the risk of side effects (and the associated costs).

 

HealthTech trends to keep an eye on

Verily is just one of the many companies dealing with HealthTech: the future of medicine will have a lot to do with technology, more than it ever did.  Below, a list of three important trends for the near future is proposed:

  • DATA: the importance of monitoring and evaluation of data will keep on rising thanks to the growing adoption of wearables and mobile technologies. The collected information will, in the longer term, allow to have personalized treatments.
  • VIRTUAL / AUGMENTED REALITY: a lot of potential resides in this hardware technology. Surgical training and study can benefit a lot, as the VR / AR can be used for simulations before surgery. Also, they could be used as a psychological relief for patients (e.g.: in Argentina, VR is being used to help cancer patients escape the harsh process of chemotherapy).
  • COMMUNICATION: technology could have a strong impact on the communication means of patient-to-doctor (and viceversa), and patient-to-patient. Mobile devices allow to have instantaneous communication, which enables a doctor to have real-time updates about a patient. Also, Social Media empower patients to create communities of people suffering from the same disease, and they may receive support from the community.

 

How is HealthTech going to evolve in the next few years, in your opinion?

Interested in the topic?

Here are some interesting videos:

SOURCES:

https://www.statnews.com/2015/12/02/google-doctor-jessica-mega/

https://www.statnews.com/2015/12/07/verily-google-life-sciences-name/

https://verily.com/

https://virtualrealityreporter.com/virtual-reality-surgical-medical-application/

 

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