Trump Administration and Big Tech Push for Sharing Health Data: Privacy Concerns Arise
TL;DR
The Trump administration has announced a plan to allow Americans to voluntarily share their medical records across various platforms, raising significant privacy concerns among experts.
Main Content
US President Donald Trump unveiled a new initiative on Wednesday aimed at enabling Americans to voluntarily upload and transfer their medical records across hospitals, clinics, technology companies, and health apps. Major tech giants such as Google, Apple, OpenAI, and Amazon are among the participants in this broad effort.
While this system could help consolidate fragmented health data currently siloed across different companies and healthcare providers, privacy experts have expressed concerns. They argue that the segmentation of data is crucial for maintaining privacy.
“[This] private health tracking system with Big Tech should worry all Americans,” said Georgetown University professor Lawrence Gostin, who also serves as the Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law.
“There are few privacy safeguards. Medical records are personal and intimate. Health records might be shared with insurers, businesses, ICE, and law enforcement.”
According to the Trump Administration, the ability to share health data more easily is beneficial for Americans who want to directly provide their personal Apple Health data to their doctor or approve certain weight loss providers, like Noom, to access their medical records.
A total of 60 companies have signed onto the effort, ranging from traditional healthcare insurers such as UnitedHealth to artificial intelligence developers such as Anthropic and OpenAI. The latter group’s participation is part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to roll out AI chatbots that can steer Americans into healthier recommendations for daily living—a goal pushed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy following a recent visit to Indonesia.
“There are other apps in Indonesia that allow you to choose good foods when you go to the grocery store and turn your app on on your phone and get information,” Kennedy said at a televised event Wednesday. “Now, if you have your medical records, you can get personalized advice, and that allows you to get better advice about a better alternative.”
However, the increased accessibility of healthcare data introduces new risks.
First, while it is unknown if participating companies can store a person’s data, their access to the new database could make them highly attractive targets for cybercriminals who want to abuse that access to ransack Americans’ sensitive information. Already, third-party companies that support healthcare providers are at high risk for cyberattacks—a reality that nearly gridlocked two ambulance operators after a shared technology provider was attacked.
Additionally, it’s common for companies that already handle medical data to expose private information, like when a radiological imaging provider failed to protect tens of thousands of patient files.
Second, there is also the question of whether the data will be used in new, privacy-invasive ways to track Americans. Already, Americans’ browsing habits, online searches, clicks, scrolls, opened emails, and shopping wish lists are mined for advertising revenue. As warned by Jeff Chester, executive director for the Center for Digital Democracy in speaking with the AP:
“This scheme is an open door for the further use and monetization of sensitive and personal health information.”
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Conclusion
The Trump administration’s initiative to allow voluntary sharing of health data across various platforms raises significant privacy concerns. While the system aims to consolidate fragmented health data, experts warn about the potential risks of data breaches and privacy invasions. The participation of major tech companies and healthcare providers highlights the need for robust privacy safeguards to protect sensitive medical information. As the initiative moves forward, it will be crucial to address these concerns to ensure the privacy and security of Americans’ health data.