When our heartbeat is not ours
The cardiac defibrillator inside Hugo Campos transmits data to the manufacturer, which alerts his doctors if there is a problem with his heartbeat. He would like to see this data, too. But he cannot. Campos, a member of a growing number of data-access activists, or "e-patients," is challenging the defibrillator's manufacturer with this question: Who has the right to own, control, and use the information the device collects? Medical professionals are understandably concerned about patients' incorrectly interpreting data, or trying to adjust a device without understanding the way it works. Campos is concerned that people he may not know -- scientists, doctors -- have more information about him than he does. He's petitioned for access to his information; so far he has had no luck. If he and other data-access activists succeed, patients would receive access to their health data. For now, the ownership of information collected by the sensors in our bodies remains with the manufacturer.
From new innovators to the old guard, these companies are experiencing phenomenal growth in the tech sector.
.
