Google Health launches today

Google has launched its Health online application. This new addition to the Google family can supposedly help you figure out what your body is telling you based on information you feed Google, such as your medical history and medication prescriptions.

Am I the only one that has a problem with this ?

Tracking my Google search engine usage is one thing, but now, not only does Google know where I am, what I am doing, but now, Google knows how I feel and what I should be doing about it. Although Google's Privacy Statement guarantees the information will not be sold to third-party providers, I am sure that my insurance company would have a field day with that information. Not to mention that Google Health's Private Statement is not yet available online as of yet.

For example, if I do some research on Google Health about some horrible disease, does this mean that I am the unfortunate soul who contracted it ? And where does liability end ? The strong disclaimer you sign up for when you first access Google Health ensures that any information provided by you or by Google are not to be taken seriously, and a doctor should always be consulted for serious ailments. However, disclaimers on paper are one thing, and I wonder if the gullibility of the general public would make the distinction between a medical opinion and that of a multi-million dollar corporation.

Another complication is advertising - will Google AdSense now display Viagra ads in addition to wonderful vacation opportunities ? (Thank god for Firefox AdBlock!) And who else would benefit from this, other than the already too-rich pharmaceutical companies ?

Google Health on the surface may be a good idea, but it seems to be a huge conspiracy for multi-million dollar conglomerates to profit off the backs of an ignorant public.