Medical Stalking

This is the third post in the series “21st Century Challenges” about Who Owns Your Medical Data?. In the first post, we discussed the following:

In the future, Big Data algorithms and biometric sensors may detect and diagnose a disease before we have started to notice any discomfort or signs. But would you like your insurance company to tell you to stop eating x or y  because according to the algorithm it might lead to the development of a disease in the future?

In the second post,  How to regulate the ownership of medical data in law and with the help of technology?, we ended with a question that might propel us to a breakthrough idea:

In What Ways Might We make medical stalking radically impossible while at the same time all data on a world scale becomes available for personalized medicine.

We used the phrase We Can IF  looking at different directions; designing at least three possibilities per direction.

Our efforts: We Can IF 

We think of it as…………

• we being stalked and being the stalker at the same time i.e. a victim with power.
• a world-wide web of medical data with only one key that is owned by me.
• a modern stalker without power to hurt only to heal and to good.

We remove …………..to allow us……………

• all barriers and install a data tracker, cookies, so that we have free access to everything that is collected about us to allow us to decide how and who can use it.
• the idea that some data are more valuable than other data to allow us to get a more accurate picture of how different factors interact.
• the idea that companies can earn money by selling medicine to allow us all to get free access to medicine and best support to live a healthy life.

We access the knowledge of …………..

• all research that has been conducted.
• indigenous people and traditional herbal medicine.
• biologists, who specialise in studying new plants and explore their potentials.

We introduce …..

• an invite your friends’ scheme.
• a free extra week holiday for each year you provide your data.
• tax rebate.

We substitute ….for….. 

• money for kindness and overall value.
• voluntary DNA testing that you have to pay for and provide everyone with free testing.
• the secret collection of data with complete openness.

We fund it by …..

• special pharmaceutical and herbal medicine tax.
• whoever uses it or benefits from it pays.
• tax the upper 1 per cent of the world!

We use other people to …..

• make sure the stalker does not stalk in secret.
• to hack into stalkers’ account.
• spread the messages.

We resource it by …..

• renting data
• nudging everyone to contribute
• leasing data

We mix together …

• stalking and leasing
  
• different types of data, i.e. medical, herbal, environmental to gain a complete picture while providing the individual with control.
  
• cookies with individual control
  

After some days going over and over it, some less or more coherent ideas will emerge from the unconscious. Reaching a result can be a euphoric moment or one of disappointment. However, it is important to state the thinking result formally, especially if you are thinking on your own. It helps to communicate your idea concisely to people who not attended a session, f.i. decision makers, clients, investors, etc.

Formal Result

Report each idea in the following format:

• Focus: what has been the focus? For what problem or challenge was you in need for an idea?
• Name. Make up a catchy name
• Idea: a description of the idea. How does it work?
• Value: why does the idea make sense? For who?

Our effort.

Focus: In What Ways Might We make medical stalking radically impossible while at the same time all data on a world scale becomes available for personalized medicine.

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Name: Medical Data Stock Market

Idea description. Organize the exchange of medical data as the trade in securities.

Value. It gives the individual a share and influence in the trade around medical information. The trade is strictly regulated by law what will increase the availability of personal medical data.

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Name: Advertisers regulate themselves

Description: Advertisers will set up a system that secures that all data becomes available and prevent misuse.

Value: Advertisers will discover that medical stalking will ruin their business. By financing the system by advertising medical data will become more available as the development of search machines has shown. 

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Name: Medical stalking is prohibited by law

Description. Define medical stalking, give examples, penalize it by law, built up case law

Value. A law against medical stalking will set a clear moral and ethical standard

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Name: Logistic Chain of Added Value

Idea description: Medical data agents upload their information products to a platform and all potential consumers can see them. Trust between the producer and the consumer service is achieved by a system of validations and scoring. Producers of information can see who have access to their information, can restrict the use of it for certain purposes, add additional data, have voting rights in data companies and can trade information products for money or shares. 

Value: This will improve trust between agents

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 Name: Data Leasing Franchise

Idea Description: Raw data are leased and a code is added to data so that it destroys itself at the end of the leasing period. The company can extend the lease and a new contract is drawn up. New raw data can be added to the contract during the lease.

Value: This will provide the owner of data with the control. It provides smaller companies with the opportunity to lease data to develop their ideas and test ideas.

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The idea behind this thinking exercise has been to explore some possible thinking steps that might help us to get a solution or at least a direction for one of today’s urgent issues as identified by Yuval Noah Harari in the book  21 Lessons for the 21st Century.

Perhaps you might think that the results are not that spectacular or you may have had higher expectations. But that’s not the point. The point is to make a deliberate effort to think about a pressing question without being an expert. You will experience the next months that, by doing this exercise, you will notice much more news and articles regarding this theme, just because it has set your mindset. 

As we experienced with this article: A new DNA sequencing service wants to reward you for sharing your data, that just outlined our last idea.

We will continue this series in the next post: Education – What should we teach children?