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Nathan E Botts / Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Telehealth app Doxy.me is fixing a patient health data leak

A report from Cyberscoop

Overview

Cyberscoop reports that after examining the Doxy.me platform, privacy researcher Zach Edwards discovered that the company appeared to be sharing IP addresses and unique device identification numbers with Google, Facebook, and the marketing software company HubSpot.

Why is this important to me?

Cyberscoop notes that users of Doxy.me may be inadvertently grouped with other patients by Google and Facebook's advertising platforms, possibly providing data to the firms' algorithms that might infer sensitive information about a patient's health. Advertisers could then target patients with adverts that were personalized to their specific ailments.

Among the third parties named in Doxy's privacy policy are Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and HubSpot. According to the corporation, "use data" includes Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser version, and a mobile device's unique ID number.

The problem is that, when joined with other data, those bits may create a formidable data collection that allows some of the world's biggest advertising platforms to track individuals online.

What should I do about it?

It is noted in the CyberScoop article that, "In its privacy policy, Doxy acknowledges that it shares “usage data” with several third parties including Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, Google Ads and HubSpot. Per the company’s definition, “usage data” can include but is not limited to Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser version, and a mobile device’s unique ID number."

So while there was usage data exposed, it was not necessarily "leaked". If you are uncomfortable about that reach out to Doxy.me and confirm the status of the identity leak and have them confirm that your data is safe and has not been exposed beyond the definition of "usage data". Letting them know that you are a concerned patient/user is a good thing!

You can reach out to Doxy here: https://doxy.me/en/contact/

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Tags: Telehealth Data Leak Doxy.me

How to Protect Your Privacy as More Apps Harvest Your Data

A New York Times Personal Tech series article by Brian X. Chen

Retrieved By Health eConsultation / Wednesday, May 31, 2017 0 15573 Article rating: 5.0

In this article written by Brian X. Chen from the New York Times he discusses some of the potential ways in which mobile apps that you download to your phone may be collecting and using your personal data in ways you did not know.

One of the key takeaways is that there are ways in which to protect yourself and tools that can help you figure out which apps are collecting your data and how to remove their ability to do so.

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One consideration as you gather and store more personal health information on your computer and devices is making sure that you are not inadvertently sharing this information (or some other aspect of your personal health) through your webcam or mic.

This article from Zapier outlines several different ways and some handy applications that can help you control this on your PC or MAC.

Determining the Value of Compromising Your Privacy

An article from Engadget

Nathan E Botts / Sunday, August 13, 2017 0 10491 Article rating: No rating

This article from the Engadget web magazine discusses how your online searching behaviors might be monitored by different companies that you are unaware about. This data is likely used to build profiles that may impact the advertisements you see, credit ratings received, and other potential social network aspects as of yet identified.

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Nathan E Botts / Friday, October 27, 2017 0 12250 Article rating: 5.0

From the NIH YouTube Channel: Do you know what information is contained in your electronic health record (EHR)? Eric Dishman, director of the All of Us Research Program, explains what’s in your EHR and why the data is so valuable for researchers.

Sharing Sensitive Health Information: Protect Your Privacy and Improve Your Health

A guide from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

Nathan E Botts / Saturday, March 31, 2018 0 54080 Article rating: 5.0

This 2-page ONC published graphic novel (aka comic book) is a short guide that helps illustrate why protecting your health privacy is important and issues to consider when sharing sensitive health information.

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What is Health eDefense?

Health eDefense is the act of protecting your personal health information. This not only protects your privacy, security, and safety, but also protects the data of your family, friends, and others in your community.

The Health eDefense platform is dedicated to providing consumers with actionable information on how to protect their personal health information effectively from cyber threats. Health eDefense provides informational content and education related to cyber security, privacy and consent, security, and related topics and policies such as HIPAA and GDPR.

Cyber security is impacting our daily lives, and our personal and protected health information is a target for hackers and criminals looking to make money off of our personal data. Your personal health data will always be about your health, demographics, social, lifestyle, financial history, and other related details. Once taken, they cannot be taken back.

We think the best cybersecurity tool is education and awareness, and we hope to provide users with tools and insight to protect themselves and their data better.