Facebook Photos Used for Medical Diagnosis - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.
Approaching 1 Billion users, Facebook is among the largest repositories of human information. Our daily activities on Facebook reveal a lot of information about many facets of our lives.
That private data has been used for all sorts of purposes from assessing a new employee to catching thieves. Now, USA Today is reporting another potential use of your Facebook data.
Doctors from Mayo Clinic looked up a woman's Facebook page to find clues relating to her medical condition.
The 56-year-old patient had suffered stroke and the doctors wanted to know the causes behind the stroke. Noticing her droopy eyes, the doctor thought perhaps that could have been reflective of an internal artery tear, a potential cause for stroke. However, not being certain, they looked at some of her pictures on Facebook and noticed that she did not have the droopy eyes several days prior. A subsequent conversation revealed a recent neck adjustment was the likely reason for her stroke.
What's the most unusual use for Facebook information that you have come across?
