Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Neurorights Group: In Today's Techy World, Brain Data Needs Protections
Stat: Data Privacy Needed For Your Brain, Neurorights Foundation Says
Consumer neurotechnology is booming. You can buy a funky-looking headband for $500 on the internet if you want your own personal EEG to track your brain data. But before you click purchase, you might want to check out the device’s privacy policy. (Broderick, 4/17)
The New York Times: Colorado Bill Aims To Protect Consumer Brain Data
Consumers have grown accustomed to the prospect that their personal data, such as email addresses, social contacts, browsing history and genetic ancestry, are being collected and often resold by the apps and the digital services they use. With the advent of consumer neurotechnologies, the data being collected is becoming ever more intimate. One headband serves as a personal meditation coach by monitoring the user’s brain activity. Another purports to help treat anxiety and symptoms of depression. Another reads and interprets brain signals while the user scrolls through dating apps, presumably to provide better matches. (“‘Listen to your heart’ is not enough,” the manufacturer says on its website.) (Moens, 4/17)
Modern Healthcare: What The Epic-Particle Health Dispute Means For Data Sharing
A dispute between electronic health record giant Epic Systems and a startup gives a glimpse at the larger data-sharing challenges healthcare faces. The dispute between Epic and Particle Health, a startup that helps providers and health tech companies aggregate and share data, exposes how a lack of trust has hampered larger interoperability efforts. (Perna, 4/17)
Stat: Microsoft's Role In Setting AI Standards, While Selling Tech, Raises Questions
For a company moving as quickly as possible to build artificial intelligence into everything — including health care — Microsoft spends a lot of time talking about how to regulate it. (Ross and Trang, 4/18)
Also —
CBS News: California Can Share Your Baby's DNA Sample Without Permission, But New Bill Could Force State To Publicly Reveal Who They're Giving It To
Genealogy companies like Ancestry.com and 23andMe have to get your permission before they store, use, or share your DNA, under the Genetic Information Privacy Act. However, the California Department of Public Health doesn't have to. In fact, the agency has been storing DNA samples from every baby born in California since the 1980s. Researchers can purchase those samples for state-approved studies and law enforcement can access them with a court order. (Watts, 4/17)
The Wall Street Journal: 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki Plans To Take Company Private
Anne Wojcicki is seeking to take her DNA-testing company 23andMe private after three years in public markets that saw the once-hot company’s valuation collapse from a high of $6 billion. Her intentions were revealed in a public filing late Wednesday, which stated that she is working with advisers to help craft a potential deal and intends to speak with potential partners and financing sources. The filing said she would oppose any other buyer taking over the company. (Winkler, 4/17)
