UPDATE: Today is the last day to (finally) opt out of My Health Record. You can do so here, and read about why you should do so below.

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If you’ve been anywhere online in the last few days, you’ve probably seen people using the #MyHealthRecord hashtag, often accompanied by some Very Serious Warnings about why you should opt out of the service RIGHT NOW.

So what is #MyHealthRecord and why are people so worried?

What Will My Health Record Be Used For?

My Health Record is the government’s new system for uploading and storing your medical records on a national database.

Everyone in Australia will be given a My Health Record file in the coming months. In theory, this will allow medical professionals to access your vital information such as prescriptions, medical histories and allergies when it’s most needed.

Doctors and medical professionals will be able to access the data at any time (unless you opt out, more on that later), which could be very helpful in an emergency situation where you’re not able to communicate with medical professionals, for example.

Experts say the system will significantly reduce medical errors, such as giving someone the wrong prescription.

#MyHealthRecord is the #NBN of electronic medical records. pic.twitter.com/t4UPmmXnE1

— Michael Woodhead (@mpwoodhead) July 16, 2018

The program has been years in the making and has the backing of the Australian Medical Association.

“The current system of medical records means that we may have incomplete information on a patient — especially if the patient has recently seen another specialist or has been discharged from a hospital”, AMA President Dr Michael Gannon said earlier this year. “The My Health Record now provides patient medications, referrals, shared health summaries, pathology and diagnostic imaging reports and, increasingly, hospital discharge summaries.”

You’ll be able to control who has access to your records by setting an access code for specific health organisations, reviewing which documents are available to which people, or nominating a representative (like a friend or family member) who can gain access. You can also set up an alert so that you’ll be notified whenever someone new accesses your information.

Ok, So Why Are People Worried

Do you really trust the government to keep your most sensitive medical secrets safe and secure forever?

If you’re lucky, your health record contains mostly banal information — antibiotics for that ear infection you got last summer, or evidence of an old sporting injury — which might not be such a big deal.

It's really important, when making a decision about #MyHealthRecord, to appreciate that this is some of, if not the most, sensitive information about you to exist. You have no idea how your circumstances may change in future and the things that may find their way onto this record

— Amy Coopes (@coopesdetat) July 16, 2018

But obviously, a lot of people have very sensitive details which they’d rather keep between them and their doctor. Your mental and sexual health histories could be stored there. Your record might reveal if you’ve ever had an abortion or self-harmed.

Your records, and every other Australian’s records, will be stored on a huge, centralised database. The government has assured us all that the data is safe, but how much can you really trust them. (Remember the Census fiasco?). If someone was able to compromise the database, your most personal information could be available to the highest bidder. And as The Conversation points out, health records are especially valuable for hackers.

Just yesterday, on the first day of operation, the government’s opt-out system crashed.

There are also questions about whether it’s a reliable system for doctors. It won’t necessarily have the most up-to-date information, and it’s not a clinical medical history. It’s a summary of your medical history, but it can’t possibly know what conversations you’ve had with your doctors, for example. So it knows what’s happened in your past, but it doesn’t necessarily know why, and that could be important.

Oh, also, in some circumstances, your information might be accessed by other government agencies like Centrelink or the cops.

What Else Will They Do With Your Data?

Under the legislation allowing for this new system, the government will be able to grant access to your data to external organisations, such as health apps. These apps will be able to show you your own data, but they won’t be able to store it.

Steve Hambleton from the Australian Digital Health Agency, which runs the system, has said pretty clearly that giving access to your medical history to third parties will be strictly prohibited.

Just tried to #optout of #MyHealthRecord the system couldn’t verify who I am. I now have to call the Center to opt out for something that I didn’t opt into. I didn’t give permission for my data to be linked in the first place. This is ethically flawed. pic.twitter.com/9S1q1oZAFp

— Marlene Longbottom (@MLongbottom13) July 16, 2018

“I can absolutely categorically state that none of the apps and none of the use of the My Health Record data will be able to be sold to third parties — that’s absolutely prohibited,” he told the ABC. But already, one app, Health Engine, has been caught sharing patients’ histories with personal injury lawyers and other third parties.

Health Minister Greg Hunt has since ordered an urgent review of the platform, and anyone caught illegally accessing data could be jailed or fined more than $100,000. But by then it would be too late for your data.

And while access to third parties might be strictly prohibited now, who’s to say what a future government might do?

How Can You Opt Out Of #MyHealthRecord?

If any of the above is concerning to you, you have till today to opt out of the system. That means you have until January 31 to do so by visiting this website; you’ll just need a form of ID like a driver’s licence or passport, and your medicare card.

After January 31, your My Health Record will exist until 30 years after your death, whether you like it or not.