Ho expresses concern about the security of information transmission. Indeed, the weak security links in Internet data transmission are much more likely to be at the transmitting and receiving ends, where unauthorized eyes may get access to information in its original form through more mundane security breaches. Breaches can also occur with courier services, fax transmissions and, of course, ordinary telephone conversations. That we should use these means, but not the Internet, to exchange clinical information makes little sense. Ho's second concern, about the need for a peer-review process for medical information posted on the Internet, is particularly relevant.
Similar efforts are under way elsewhere.
Indeed, many of the society's patient- information brochures, which have already been carefully vetted for their accuracy, could be made into World Wide Web pages with relative ease.