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View in browser  |  Your newsletter preferences Not yet a subscriber? By Eve Sneider | 07.01.23 Mining Your Medical Data I don't really worry about where my data—what I buy, who I talk to, how many times a day I use my face to unlock my phone—winds up. Like many digital natives, I know that privacy is a myth, my data isn't mine, and often the only course of action is to not think about any of this too much. If you believe I'm being irresponsible or willfully ignorant, by all means give me a shout. And if there's a more responsible way for me to consider the data I produce, I'm eager to hear it. That said, every now and then something I read reminds me that I ought to care about how this information is being used and that acquiring this data is actually my right. Our Medical Data Must Become Free, K McGowan's 2016 feature for WIRED, makes exactly this point. Where medicine was once highly analog, she writes, it is now "transacted in the language of data: measurements of what's in your blood, descriptions of your cells, pictures of your insides. Even words get rendered as data, through the codes that the doctor uses to record your diagnosis." It's important for patients to have access to this information, and securing it should be relatively straightforward. But getting your hands on it can be an utterly Herculean effort. What's more, McGowan notes, this data about your body is frequently mined and sold to companies for profit, sometimes under pretty nefarious circumstances. And bafflingly, in almost every state in the US, your medical records aren't even your property, which leaves fewer options for recourse. What I love about McGowan's article, though, is that she seems to be trying to empower readers, rather than coming from a place of anxiety and fear. Your medical data can tell you what symptoms to look out for, what drugs to avoid, and how to take better care of yourself. You have a right to your records. How do you feel about all of this? Do you feel motivated to assert your right to your own data? Or are you more inclined to keep your head in the sand like me? I'd love it if you left your thoughts in a comment below the story, or if you wrote me a note. See you next week! Eve Eve Sneider, Deputy Ideas Editor Read the Full Story Originally published in February 2016 SUBSCRIBE TO READ THIS STORY  Our Medical Data Must Become Free Data generated by your body is routinely captured and sold by health care companies. Shouldn't you benefit from it, too? You Might Also Like Health Care Data Is a Researcher's Gold Mine Patients and clinicians generate huge amounts of data that could advance care. But turning the system into an R&D powerhouse means ripping up the rules. I Want to Know What Code Is Running Inside My Body Marie Moe is a cyborg who runs on proprietary software she can't trust. She'd like to change that. Scientists Have Discovered a New Set of Blood Groups The 'Er' grouping could help doctors identify and treat some rare cases of blood incompatibility, including between pregnant mothers and fetuses. A Mass Extinction Is Taking Place in the Human Gut To preserve humankind's diverse bacteria, scientists are harvesting, freezing, and storing poop from around the world. Fat, Sugar, Salt ... You've Been Thinking About Food All Wrong Scientists are asking tough questions about the health effects of ultra-processed diets. The answers are complicated—and surprising. ADVERTISEMENT Seeking Purpose Last week's Classics looked at Pamela McCorduck's 1996 profile of pioneering sociologist Sherry Turkle. In response, Turkle herself tweeted, "I am reminded that optimism about technology's possibilities can only be sustained if people take action to turn technology into our human purposes—this demands that people clarify these purposes."   Tell me about your favorite WIRED stories and magazine-related memories, and each week I'll feature one of you here. Write to me at eve_sneider@wired.com, and include "CLASSICS" in the subject line. Or, simply join the conversation by posting a comment below the article. GET WIRED Get WIRED for just $29.99 $5. That includes subscriber-only content like Steven Levy's Plaintext column, plus free stickers! Subscribe now. ADVERTISEMENT Have questions or comments? Reply to this email.   This email was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our email address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.