Facebook junks project to collect patients' health data: Report
San Francisco, April 6: In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data breach, Facebook has reportedly suspended a research project where it was in touch with several major US hospitals to collect data about their patients.
According to a report in CNBC late Thursday, Facebook aimed to build profiles of patients and help the hospitals, including Stanford Medical School and American College of Cardiology, figure out which patients may need special care or treatment.
"This work has not progressed past the planning phase, and we have not received, shared, or analysed anyone's data," a Facebook spokesperson told CNBC.
A Facebook statement said: "Last year Facebook began discussions with leading medical institutions to explore whether scientific research using anonymised Facebook data could help the medical community advance our understanding in this area.
"The project could have raised new concerns about the massive amount of data Facebook collects about its users, and how this data can be used in ways users never expected."
Facebook, however, told The Verge that the patient data would instead be used more generally.
"The project would not attempt to provide health recommendations for specific people. Instead, the focus would be on producing general insights that would help medical professionals take social connectedness into account as they develop treatment or intervention programmes for their patients," a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Facebook has admitted that information of up to 87 million people, mostly in the US, may have been improperly shared with the British political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica.
Private data of over 5.6 lakh Indian Facebook users was also compromised by a private marketing firm that later sold the personal details acquired through a quiz app to Cambridge Analytica.
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Dr. Shriram Nene calls India’s approach to Cannabis 'Hypocritical,' recalls medical use in US
Mumbai: Renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Shriram Nene, who is also the husband of actor Madhuri Dixit, has criticised India’s stance on cannabis, calling it “hypocritical” in comparison to its regulated medical use in other countries, including the United States.
Speaking on his health and wellness YouTube channel during a conversation with YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, Dr. Nene shared his experience of prescribing cannabis to cancer patients in the US, where medical marijuana is legal under controlled conditions.
“In India, there’s a bit of hypocrisy, it’s not that big of a deal,” Dr. Nene remarked, pointing out that while substances like ‘bhaang’ have been culturally accepted and traditionally used by ascetics and others, the broader discourse around cannabis continues to be burdened by stigma and legal constraints.
He elaborated that during his time as a practicing surgeon in the US, cannabis was commonly recommended for patients undergoing chemotherapy, particularly to alleviate nausea and improve appetite. It was also prescribed for those suffering from chronic fatigue and similar conditions.
Dr. Nene acknowledged the concerns surrounding the misuse of cannabis but underlined the need to distinguish between unregulated recreational use and prescribed medical application. “Cannabis has legitimate therapeutic benefits when used in the right medical context,” he said, emphasising the importance of scientific evaluation over societal fear.
The comments come amid growing global conversations about the decriminalisation and medical use of cannabis. While several countries have moved to relax laws and regulate cannabis for health-related purposes, India continues to classify it under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, barring limited exceptions like bhaang.
