In the future, your medical prognosis may be predicted by data from fitness monitors, genetic testing kits, insurance databases, web searches, or even your cell phone’s GPS. Want to participate in a clinical trial? No need to visit the doctor’s office, just click “I agree,” and you’re enrolled! Taking healthcare digital is exciting — it has the potential to expand beyond the academic medical center and the traditional clinical trial. It can also democratize research by making studies more accessible to underserved and remote communities, making data more diverse and inclusive. But as we freely share our information, and as tech companies edge into the healthcare sphere, what protections are needed for ourselves, and our data?

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