Weekly Digital Breakdown – 4.5.19
Weekly Digital Breakdown
Apr 05
Snapchat Develops Its Own Mobile Network
Snapchat made a big announcement on Thursday about plans for a Snap Audience Network, its own mobile ad platform with targeting across various apps. The initial launch will be strictly for iOS devices and will extend to Android at a later date.
There are still questions surrounding how this will operate as compared to similar networks. However it’s projected to compete with Facebook, LinkedIn and Google with the added unique ability for app developers to utilize Snapchat’s same full-screen, vertical video ad format.
The announcement didn’t come with much detail, but it appears to be an effort by the company to help boost it’s own advertising agenda to partner with more agencies and businesses. While there are still a number of unknowns with this new platform, it will be interesting to see Snapchat competes with other social networks and what differentiates them in the space.
Facebook Exposed for Storing User Data on Public Amazon Cloud Servers
Cybersecurity firm, Upguard, uncovered more than 540 million Facebook user files stored on a public Amazon cloud server this week. Information included user actions on the site, comments and Facebook IDs, all of which were accessible on the server for public download despite profile settings. Once alerted, Facebook immediately worked with Amazon to take down the database, but cannot verify how this may impact users.
While Facebook policies prohibit user data being stored on unsecure servers, this news adds to the growing data privacy concerns with the platform. After last year’s news that millions of user’s data had been misused by Cambridge Analytica, Facebook audited thousands of third-party data apps and suspended those who were mishandling. Despite continued efforts to protect user data, it appears the extent of the problem may not be fully known at this point.
Amazon Alexa Advances Healthcare Services
Amazon Alexa users can now utilize the smart speaker for healthcare information with its recently released HIPAA compliant skills. Users can leverage the technology to manage healthcare needs such as booking appointments, checking a prescription status or accessing stored medical information such as ongoing glucose readings. The skills are currently only accessible through select partnerships but will expand based on user adoption.
With the launch, some entities are unveiling HIPAA-compliant skills specific to their own recently discharged patients. Boston Children’s released a skill known as “ERAS” which allows patients and caregivers to ask questions specific to recent patient care records and allows doctors the ability to follow up with patients remotely.
While data privacy remains a huge concern for patients, Amazon confirms data is encrypted and securely stored in addition to the strict guidelines HIPAA puts in place for patient protection. This announcement is a major advancement in the evolution of remote patient care.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/04/amazon-alexa-launches-its-first-hipaa-compliant-medical-skills/
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