Facebook will now remind you to get health checkups (if you want)
The news: Facebook has launched a new preventive health tool that lets US users opt in for reminders to get health checkups, vaccines, and cancer screenings. The initial focus is on heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death in the US, plus flu. Facebook plans to expand the range of illnesses, and countries, covered. It has partnered with several US health organizations for the launch.
How it will work: People can search for Preventive Health in Facebook’s mobile app to find out which checkups are recommended by the partner organizations, based on that person’s age and sex. For example, women aged 45 to 55 are recommended to get a mammogram every year. Reminders for flu shots will pop up at the appropriate time of the year. Users can use the tool to set reminders for tests, and mark when they are completed.
Some background: This isn’t Facebook’s first foray into health: it has a feature that helps people sign up as blood donors which has been used by more than 50 million people so far, it said. The difference here is the focus on preventing people from getting sick in the first place.
But, but: While the cause is worthy, it involves the most private data being collected by Facebook, a company that has repeatedly been hit by data privacy scandals over the last year. The company says it has introduced extra safeguards for data entered into the app, and won’t show ads based on the data that users provide. However, Facebook is relying on enough people to take it at its word at a time when trust in the company is at rock bottom, especially in the US.
Sign up here for our daily newsletter The Download to get your dose of the latest must-read news from the world of emerging tech.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.
Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.
Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch
Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.
How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets
When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.