Google Is Gathering Health <br />Data on Millions of Americans.<br />Google is working in <br />conjunction with Ascension to <br />collect the health data. The secret <br />project is called "Project Nightingale.".<br />Ascension is the second-largest <br />health system in the country. <br />Company employees have questioned <br />the ethics of Project Nightingale.<br />The data culled as a result of the <br />project includes patient's names, date <br />of birth, lab results, hospitalization <br />records and diagnoses from doctors.<br />While more than 150 Google <br />employees have had access to the <br />personal health data, doctors and patients <br />have not been informed of the project.<br />Project Nightingale is likely <br />legal due to a federal law, the <br />Health Insurance Portability <br />and Accountability Act of 1996.<br />The law allows the sharing of patient <br />data without patient permission if the <br />data is used “only to help the covered <br />entity carry out its health care functions.”.<br />A spokeswoman for Google <br />says the project is compliant with <br />federal law and protects patient data
