Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Google Takes Steps Into Health Market With Fitbit; Both Companies Say Data Won't Be Used For Ads
Behind Google鈥檚 $2.1 billion deal for wearables maker Fitbit Inc. FIT -0.42% is the search giant鈥檚 dream to become a major player in health data after a failed attempt to establish a foothold in it years ago. Big technology companies have long been tantalized by the promise of devices like smartwatches and wireless earbuds to collect a wealth of real-time user data on heart rates, body temperature and the like. Makers of these wearable products sometimes share that data, though they aren鈥檛 particularly transparent with whom. Fitbit鈥檚 privacy policy says it works with unnamed 鈥減artners who provide us with analytics and advertising services鈥 as well as third-party apps. (Needleman and Copeland, 11/6)
The聽DNA-testing firm Veritas Genetics experienced a security breach that included customer information, the startup said. Veritas, which sells whole-genome sequencing for $599, said it became aware that a customer-facing portal had been 鈥渞ecently鈥 accessed by an聽unauthorized user.聽The company said that the portal didn鈥檛 contain genetic data, DNA-test聽results or health records.聽(Brown, 11/6)