Why You Should Think Twice About Using A Health App
Not all health apps adhere to HIPPA laws designed to protect patient privacy.
This article is more than 2 years old
In today’s world, we have everything at the tips of our fingers. We have become used to the convenience and ease of technology and apps on our phones and tablets. We don’t often think about the sensitive information that we may be directly handing out in health apps, Facebook, and other applications.
There are many different health apps currently on the market. There are health apps that stream live fitness classes, that track menstruation and ovulation, apps to refill and prescribe prescriptions, and even apps set up by our doctors to check in, fill out forms, and provide other information. While these health apps may be convenient in the moment, they could potentially be putting all of your medical and health information at risk.
When we go to a doctor, of any kind, we have paperwork to fill out. Often this paperwork includes a list of people or other businesses to whom we decide to give access to our medical information. When receiving care from one medical facility to another, even if referred to by said medical facility, we still have to fill out the paperwork with permission to share our information between the establishments.
These laws and regulations, known as HIPAA and TMRPA, were established to protect patient privacy. However, according to MarketPlace, the question has been raised as to whether or not health apps are putting your privacy at risk.
Many health apps users have an assumption that the information they share and provide is automatically protected, but this is not the case. More and more people are actually finding out that their information is being sold to third parties and other outside companies. The information being sold is being used for targeted ads, to build user profiles, and other sales tactics.
This has the potential for huge risks for all health app users. Companies that supply insurance coverage may decide to purchase collected data from health apps. With this collected data, companies may then decide that you are ineligible for coverage or hit consumers with outrageous costs, due to what they might call, preexisting conditions.
In a similar way, other types of companies can choose to purchase the data that is collected by health apps and determine individuals as ineligible for a certain job, housing, or another opportunity. All of these decisions are based on the information that is collected, stored, and sold from health apps.
Fortunately, there are ways to be proactive and things that health app users can do to protect themselves from this potential risk. First of all, don’t skip over the print and just sign your name. Take the time to read and know what you are signing.
Moreover, if you have questions about something, ask, research, reread and ask again. Refer to your very own cell phone and check the privacy settings. Most importantly, use common sense. In a world where privacy has become a currency for every individual it really has become more important than every to learn the best practices for safeguarding oneself, especially when it comes to protecting your health.
