Mental health apps use various forms of technology to serve people with mental health concerns or those in emergency and crisis situations. For example, bots and chat features often invite users to enter sensitive information, trusting that the mental health app is secure and that their data will be confidential. However, data protection is not always guaranteed on mental health apps. User confidentiality can be breached, and data is often misused, according to researchers Gooding and Kariotis (2022). Their recent Scientific American article proposes that standards of confidentiality and ethical handling of healthcare information should be applied to mental health apps.
Data Misuse and Confidentiality in Mental Health Apps and Other Online Public Resources
An example of the complications that can involve mental health apps allegedly involves Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit organization for people in mental health crises. One of the biggest in the industry, Crisis Text Line, has received funding from some of the largest players in Silicon Valley. However, was reported in January of 2022 by Politico that the Crisis Text Line was sharing data gathered from users and providing this data to its for-profit company Loris AI, a company that uses Artificial Intelligence to create customer service products with chatbots.
The Politico article explains that the two companies were financially and otherwise entwined, but both companies deny engaging in unethical behavior.
- Whether true or not, such allegations should give licensed therapists pause enough to conduct a detailed online search into the financial dealings of companies that own or operate mental health apps before encouraging the consumer public to get involved.
- To assist clinicians in being better informed of the financial dealings behind the scenes, Telehealth.org is preparing to launch a free “Telehealth Financial Newsletter” starting January 1. Interested parties can register for the weekly email newsletter now
Other Potentially Problematic Databases
Information can be leaked in many ways. In yet another alleged digital data-sharing story gone bad, U.S. border authorities purportedly denied entry to a group of
