April 11, 2024 at 11:04AM
Hospitals use tracking technologies on their websites to share user information with Google, Meta, and other third parties. Researchers found 96% of hospital websites transmit user data to third parties, with many lacking privacy policies. This breach of privacy poses risks for visitors and hospitals. Researchers recommend using browser-based tools to protect personal information.
From the meeting notes, the key takeaways are as follows:
– Research from the University of Pennsylvania found that 96% of non-federal acute care hospitals’ websites transmit user data to third parties, with the majority not having a privacy policy or not disclosing specific third-party recipients.
– Google and Meta are prominently featured in receiving website visitors’ information, along with other companies such as Adobe, The Trade Desk, Verizon, Oracle, Microsoft, and Amazon.
– There is a lack of federal data privacy law in the US, placing the responsibility of protecting personal information on individuals. As a recommendation, Dr. Ari Friedman suggests using browser-based tools like Ghostery and Privacy Badger to identify and block transfers to third-party domains, without significantly impacting the browsing experience.
These takeaways highlight the concerning prevalence of user data sharing by hospital websites and the potential risks it poses to both visitors and the hospitals themselves, as well as the availability of tools for individuals to protect their personal information while browsing.