Google’s ‘Project Nightingale’ Gathers Personal Health Data on Millions of Americans

Venustus

Level 59
Thread author
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
Dec 30, 2012
4,809
Google is engaged with one of the U.S.’s largest health-care systems on a project to collect and crunch the detailed personal-health information of millions of people across 21 states.
The initiative, code-named “Project Nightingale,” appears to be the biggest effort yet by a Silicon Valley giant to gain a toehold in the health-care industry through the handling of patients’ medical data
Google began Project Nightingale in secret last year with St. Louis-based Ascension, a Catholic chain of 2,600 hospitals, doctors’ offices and other facilities, with the data sharing accelerating since summer, according to internal documents.
The data involved in the initiative encompasses lab results, doctor diagnoses and hospitalization records, among other categories, and amounts to a complete health history, including patient names and dates of birth.
 

silversurfer

Level 85
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Content Creator
Malware Hunter
Well-known
Aug 17, 2014
10,048
Our work with Ascension focuses on three things:
  • Shifting Ascension’s infrastructure to the cloud: The partnership will modernize Ascension’s infrastructure, enabling them to migrate their on-premise data warehouse and analytics environments to their own private and secure Google Cloud environment. Key elements of this work will focus on network and system connectivity, data integration, privacy and security, and compliance.
  • Using G Suite productivity tools: This will enhance Ascension employees’ ability to communicate and collaborate securely in real time, supporting interdisciplinary care and operations teams across Ascension sites of care.
  • Extending tools to doctors and nurses to improve care: We aim to provide tools that Ascension could use to support improvements in clinical quality and patient safety.
 
F

ForgottenSeer 58943

Google is really just a huge intelligence gathering operation. It's really disgusting that they are allowed to proliferate, but then one realizes the tentacles they have into governments and it starts to make sense.

Years ago I had myself and family pulled out of every govt. database I could find them in, (state, local and federal) when I had the access and capabilities to make it happen. One of the things I also did was pull their blood blotches from various databases, I still have the blotch cards in a safe. That was when they were taking blood samples from babies without parental consent and much of them ended up in govt./military research labs. Getting those back into my possession was pretty hard, until I claimed for Religions Reasons, and they fedex'd them immediately because of the liability involved with that. Guaranteed they would end up in a DNA database, but I got them before that happened as this was some time ago.

Another database I purged was the vaccination and health databases at the state level. These were setup to track vaccinations. However they morphed over time to track everything from weight, development, child mentality and psychology, and other intrusive aspects. Getting those databases nixed was easy, thankfully, just some forms.

I rarely take prescriptions (and don't need to), but when I need one. I go to the doctor, he tells me what he recommends, dosages, etc. I ask for a hand written script, take the paper home and order the exact same thing, anonymously from one of the online grey market prescription shippers. A couple days later it shows up at in the mail as a mundane looking package.

If people aren't careful all of this is going to burn them, badly, at some point in the future, probably not too distant future from the looks of it.

I know a lady, she nearly lost her job. Someone modified her online health records to state she was psychotic and taking anti-psychotic drugs. It nearly cost her the job she was in because the job requirements mandated stability. After some effort, she proved this wasn't her true data and got it reverted, narrowly averting total job-loss and embarrassment. It happens, and people need to be on guard for it. Anger the wrong person (or govt.) and you'll find out exactly what they can do, pretty quickly.
 

Burrito

Level 24
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
May 16, 2018
1,363

I agree with the above sentiment about about the invasive and parasitical (we get no compensation for the use of our data) nature of Google and other companies.

But... I'll still throw my lot in with Google if the rumor of the nature of the checking account turns out the be correct.

T-Mobile has a checking account that pays 4% interest with no fees (with limitations) -- which is great in today's interest rate environment. But you have to use T-Mobile..

The rumor has it that Google may also pay interest well... and if it's anything like T-Mobile's --- I'm in.
 
F

ForgottenSeer 58943

Quite a number of credit unions and some banks are starting to offer 4% checking accounts. It seems to be a recent move spurred by intense competition for the increasing paychecks and budgets with Americans.

As for privacy, it is easier to control it rather than to recover it. So if you don't let it out, or reduce it going out in the first place then you have less work to do. Trying to reign in your loss of privacy on a personal level becomes more difficult the longer your data is out and and the more it is shared.

Also there are many tips and techniques to improve privacy in everyday life. For example most credit card companies have privacy options now. Chase Cards for example, you can go into your account privacy settings online and disable a wealth of spying, telemetry, information sharing with partners and more. Opt-out's are more plentiful than you think, but you sometimes have to look more deeply to find them. They are worth the small effort in the long run!

Cash is very private. But you can also have a disposable, anonymous credit card and just load it up every so often with a few hundred bucks as needed and use that everywhere. In most cases cannot be tied to you directly. Govt's have a lot of insight into your day to day activities because they have access to the financials relating to your card purchases and bank accounts. Your phone service has a lot of privacy options, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.. You have to dig for them, but again, well worth finding in their online portals.

Most stores share data to government databases, especially shopper data which is tied to govt. databases under the guise of helping identify outbreaks of food born pathogens, but in reality the databases will or have been expanded for other uses. Use your imagination and you can think up ways this can be abused and rest assured, someone else already has! For example do you buy a lot of middle eastern ingredients? Or do you buy a lot of sugar free stuff? That can be used to profile you.

 
Last edited by a moderator:

Burrito

Level 24
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
May 16, 2018
1,363
Quite a number of credit unions and some banks are starting to offer 4% checking accounts. It seems to be a recent move spurred by intense competition for the increasing paychecks and budgets with Americans.

Sly.... maybe you have that as part of your Military-Industrial-Intelligence-Complex Credit Union.

For the rest of us..... Show us non-rewards checking accounts of 4% or greater.

C'mon.... I dare ya..

1573777022481.png
 
F

ForgottenSeer 58943

Internet search for 4% Interest Checking Account Credit Union. It's sort of becoming commonplace.

Here's a good few;


Plenty of local credit unions around these parts doing 4% now. I cannot cite specific local ones without revealing a geographical area so I will stick to some generic ones.
 

Burrito

Level 24
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
May 16, 2018
1,363
Internet search for 4% Interest Checking Account Credit Union. It's sort of becoming commonplace.

Here's a good few;


Plenty of local credit unions around these parts doing 4% now. I cannot cite specific local ones without revealing a geographical area so I will stick to some generic ones.

Nope.

Every one of those (T-Mobile aside) is a rewards checking account.

It's not commonplace.

In fact... as a regular checking account with no limitations..... it doesn't exist.

I'll be happy if you prove me wrong.
 

plat

Level 29
Top Poster
Sep 13, 2018
1,793
I negotiated a 1.6% interest rate on my money market account and walked out of my bank feeling like I'd robbed it (instead of the other way around for a change). If any institution offered 4% about now, I'd run...in the other direction.

If Google gets into the banking biz, it'll be a while before it sees dime 1 from me. Has to stand the test of time.
 

Burrito

Level 24
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
May 16, 2018
1,363
I negotiated a 1.6% interest rate on my money market account and walked out of my bank feeling like I'd robbed it (instead of the other way around for a change). If any institution offered 4% about now, I'd run...in the other direction.

If Google gets into the banking biz, it'll be a while before it sees dime 1 from me. Has to stand the test of time.

1573778848287.png
1573779144160.png


Redneck is really good. I've been with them for several years.

Still paying 2.25% on a MM.
 
F

ForgottenSeer 58943

Nope.

Every one of those (T-Mobile aside) is a rewards checking account.

It's not commonplace.

In fact... as a regular checking account with no limitations..... it doesn't exist.

I'll be happy if you prove me wrong.

The conditions are so light now all of them I see barely qualify as a rewards account 1 deposit a month, 10 debit transactions? That's a reward account? Most people can and will qualify for these 4% interest checking accounts from day to day use. They are still 4% interest bearing accounts and some will allow you to earn that on significant balances for a checking account.
 

Burrito

Level 24
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
May 16, 2018
1,363
The conditions are so light now all of them I see barely qualify as a rewards account 1 deposit a month, 10 debit transactions? That's a reward account? Most people can and will qualify for these 4% interest checking accounts from day to day use. They are still 4% interest bearing accounts and some will allow you to earn that on significant balances for a checking account.

They are a hassle and the effectively negate the interest you get based on the mandatory transactions and because they are all capped.

Otherwise the market for savings accounts and money markets would dry up...
 

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top