There is a lot of people talking about google’s pros and cons. Google has become highly advanced throughout the years, that now they’re even discussing putting medical records on it. This proves to be a concern for most people, and I can definitely see why. Medical advice through the internet is hardly ever a good idea. There have been multiple occasions where my chest pains from sternum inflammation were made out to be a stroke. But what would it mean to have personal medical records put through google?

I am not entirely sure where I stand on this issue. Personally, I am under the belief that no piece of technology is private. I am always concerned someone is watching me through the camera on my laptop, or my phone. So personally, having my medical records on google somewhere is a little bit concerning. But at the same time, aren’t all our medical records kept on file digitally anyway? It’s easy to say it’s a personal software program that holds all the data, but what were to happen if any of that data was compromised in some way? It’s easy to say no one would want to look at others medical records. It’s really none of anyone’s business. But my biggest concern is employment discrimination.

Medical records not only contain our physical health, but also our mental health. There are many people throughout the world that suffer from mental illness that can make every tasks very difficult. I don’t believe employers think about this when considering hiring someone, but with personal information on that matter ready and available through google to SOME degree, it can give someone who may care the opportunity to refuse employment to someone with mental illness. I don’t think this idea is too far fetched. As someone who suffers from mental illness, my day to day state can affect my performance at school and at work. Though I work to get through it, some days I a unable to. Those days, I normally use an excuse of being physically ill to stay home and care for myself. Unfortunately, though, not everyone believes mental illness is enough of an excuse to call out of work. It’s often seen as a controllable problem. You’re told at every job to leave your feelings at the door. So if the employer is aware of someone being treated for mental illness, they could be hesitant to hire them at the risk of poor performance and “bad” excuses to miss work.

If there records are kept on file at my doctors office, there’s no way my employer could ever know about my personal problems unless I told her. Google is huge and contains links to millions of websites. I find this information being put on google a risk on our privacy. Because of mental health stigmas, I have to say no to holding medical records on there. Google has control of so many companies, our doctors do not need to be apart of their empire. Some things in life deserve to feel safe and private, and personally I would be concerned if my information was on the internet.