Safety and Security on the Internet: Challenges and Advances in Member States

Safety and Security on the Internet: Challenges and Advances in Member States
Global Observatory for eHealth series - Volume 4.
The Internet has moved beyond an educational and research tool that served as a social network for a few elite scientists and has been transformed into a commerce and health care juggernaut accessible to much of the planet. However, the accessibility of this resource has not been unencumbered by complication and challenge. Internet pharmacies demonstrated potential early on as a hub within a wider set of eHealth services, but has since been mired in doubts regarding transparency, fraud, product quality, and even its viability as an ethical business model. Even now, over a decade after the first Internet pharmacies, questions of legality and policy plague this venture. It is telling that among the total responding countries to this survey (114), most Member States (66%) remain uncommitted on this issue, unable to decide whether Internet pharmacies should be prohibited or allowed. And while those among World Bank categorized upper-middle and high-income countries are most likely to have addressed this issue, overall there is still more prohibition (19%) than permission (7%) of Internet pharmacy operations.

Download Safety and Security on the Internet: Challenges and Advances in Member States (.pdf, 2.989 KB).

Download from eHealthNews.eu Portal's mirror: Safety and Security on the Internet: Challenges and Advances in Member States (.pdf, 2.989 KB).

About Global Observatory for eHealth
The Observatory's mission is to improve health by providing Member States with strategic information and guidance on effective practices and standards in eHealth.

Its objectives are to:

  • provide relevant, timely, and high-quality evidence and information to support national governments and international bodies in improving policy, practice, and management of eHealth;
  • increase awareness and commitment of governments and the private sector to invest in, promote, and advance eHealth;
  • generate knowledge that will significantly contribute to the improvement of health through the use of ICT; and
  • disseminate research findings through publications on key eHealth research topics as a reference for governments and policy-makers.

Most Popular Now

Most Advanced Artificial Touch for Brain…

For the first time ever, a complex sense of touch for individuals living with spinal cord injuries is a step closer to reality. A new study published in Science, paves...

From Text to Structured Information Secu…

Artificial intelligence (AI) and above all large language models (LLMs), which also form the basis for ChatGPT, are increasingly in demand in hospitals. However, patient data must always be protected...

Deep Learning Model Helps Detect Lung Tu…

A new deep learning model shows promise in detecting and segmenting lung tumors, according to a study published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)...

AI Innovation Unlocks Non-Surgical Way t…

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model to detect the spread of metastatic brain cancer using MRI scans, offering insights into patients’ cancer without aggressive surgery. The proof-of-concept study, co-led...

New Study Reveals AI's Transformati…

Intensive care units (ICUs) face mounting pressure to effectively manage resources while delivering optimal patient care. Groundbreaking research published in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research highlights how a novel...

One of the Largest Global Surveys of Soc…

As leaders gather for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos, Leaps by Bayer, the impact investing arm of Bayer, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) announced the launch...

New Computer Models Open Door to Far Mor…

With antibiotic resistance a growing problem, University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have developed cutting-edge computer models that could give the disease-fighting drugs a laser-like precision to target only...

New Biomarkers to Detect Colorectal Canc…

Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques and analysis of large datasets have helped University of Birmingham researchers to discover proteins that have strong predictive potential for colorectal cancer. In a...

Sam Neville Joins the Highland Marketing…

Leading chief nursing information officer Sam Neville is joining the Highland Marketing advisory board. Sam brings a passion for nursing and safety to the board, which debates the big issues...

AI Model Identifies Potential Risk Genes…

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Genome Center have successfully applied advanced artificial intelligence (AI) genetics models to Parkinson's disease. Researchers identified genetic factors in progression and FDA-approved drugs that can...

AI Tool that may Assist Underserved Hosp…

As the fields of healthcare and technology increasingly evolve and intersect, researchers are collaborating on the best ways to use emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to care for...

AI-Supported Breast Cancer Screening - N…

The new findings are published in The Lancet Digital Health. The initial results of the Mammography Screening with Artificial Intelligence (MASAI) study* - a randomised trial to evaluate whether AI...