9 chapters across the catalog
The Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement emphasizing that vaccination is a personal choice and that funding should be redirected to urgent public health priorities. Displaced researchers maintain that high-quality vaccination services require robust data tracking and local clinic infrastructure.
Public Health Agency of Canada, Cell Phone Data Tracking
The Public Health Agency of Canada admitted to purchasing de-identified cell phone location data to monitor population movements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Privacy experts and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Daniel Therrien, debated the ethics of using personal information for "legitimate business interests" without explicit consent. The hosts critique the concept of "democratically appointed institutions" overseeing such surveillance.
The "Quantified Self" movement involves individuals using wearable technology and sensors to track every biological metric, from sleep quality to blood pressure. This trend, popularized by tech figures like Natalie Del Conte, aims to give users a sense of total control over their bodies through data.
The shift toward remote work, telemedicine, and online education is seen as a permanent move toward a technocratic society. The hosts predict that health insurance apps will eventually use algorithms to track user movements and health status, similar to the color-coded tracking system used in China. A debate ensues over whether this level of surveillance will be fully implemented within the hosts' lifetimes.
Digital Pills, FDA Approved Ingestible Sensors
The FDA has approved the first "digital pill," a version of the drug Abilify that contains an ingestible sensor to track patient compliance. The sensor transmits data to a wearable patch and then to a mobile device, allowing doctors to monitor medication schedules.
Squirrel Deportation and Ginger.io Behavioral Tracking
John C. Dvorak recounts his "Caddyshack" style battle with a squirrel eating his plums, which ended in the squirrel's "deportation" to Berkeley. This leads to a discussion of Ginger.io, a new app that uses smartphone sensor data to track a user's mental health and alert providers if they become lethargic or isolated. The hosts view this as a precursor to invasive wearable surveillance.
Data Brokers, Hospital Tracking, Loyalty Cards
Bloomberg News reported that hospitals are purchasing consumer data from brokers to predict patient illness and treatment costs. This data is harvested from drugstore and grocery store loyalty cards, tracking every transaction a consumer makes. The hosts warn that this information is shared with insurance companies to potentially adjust rates based on purchasing habits, such as food choices.
The Airo bracelet is a new wearable device that claims to use a built-in spectrometer to track calorie intake, nutritional quality, stress levels, and sleep cycles. The device is marketed as a lifestyle assistant that can recommend breathing exercises. There are concerns that such data will eventually be mandated by insurance companies to monitor policyholders.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has ceased tracking individual swine flu cases and deaths, leading to accusations that they are hiding the low mortality rate of the virus. This lack of data, combined with media hype about vaccine shortages, is characterized as a social engineering project designed to create public demand for the shots. Meanwhile, reports of Tamiflu-resistant strains are surfacing in Asia.
