Senators Probe Telehealth Companies for Tracking and Monetizing Sensitive Health Data

A bipartisan group of senators fiercely criticized several prominent telehealth startups for failing to protect sensitive health information, citing an investigation by STAT and The Markup which found dozens of telehealth companies sharing patient data with Facebook, Google and other major advertising platforms.

“This data is extremely personal, and it can be used to target advertisements for services that may be unnecessary or potentially harmful physically, psychologically, or emotionally,” wrote Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) in letters sent this month to telehealth companies Monument, Workit Health, and Cerebral requesting information on their data sharing policies.

The investigation by STAT and The Markup examined the data-sharing practices of 50 direct-to-consumer telehealth companies, including Workit, Monument, and Cerebral. Specifically, the investigation examined what data is shared as companies use trackers from big tech companies — including Meta, Google, TikTok, Microsoft, and Twitter — to target advertisements and follow consumer browsing and buying patterns online.

For patients visiting online health care platforms, that data can be deeply personal. On 13 of the 50 websites, STAT and The Markup found at least one tracker from major social media and search engine companies that collected patients’ answers to medical questions. Trackers on 25 sites informed at least one big tech platform when users added prescription drugs and other items to their cart, or when they checked out with a subscription for a treatment plan.

Related: ‘Out of control’: Dozens of telehealth startups sent sensitive health information to big tech companies
Patients who visited Workit’s website seeking addiction treatment, for example, were presented with a simple intake form that asked about current opioid and alcohol use, self-harm, and methadone use. The investigation found responses to that survey, along with other personal information, were sent to Facebook. Presented with those findings, Workit said it adjusted how it was using the trackers.

READ MORE