Mental Health Education and News

Have you considered your privacy rights when using birth control apps?

With a May 2024 update from the FTC on a pregnancy app that shared users’ sensitive information

Nathan E Botts 1 22023 Article rating: 5.0

Abstract from the article titled, "Before Using Birth Control Apps Consider Your Privacy" posted on Wired.com: "Natural Cycles’ privacy policy states that in using the app each user grants the company and any of its partners broad rights to “use, reproduce, distribute, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, communicate to the public, and otherwise utilize and exploit a user's anonymized information.”

Should I worry about giving my DNA to labs that do genetic tests?

With an October 2023 update due to the 23andMe breach

Nathan E Botts 0 23896 Article rating: 5.0

The internet has made DNA testing a big global business. In the United States and Europe, millions of people have sent samples of their saliva to commercial labs in the hopes of learning something new about their personal health or lineage. Ancestry.com, 23andMe, MyHeritage, and FamilyTreeDNA are all industry leaders that sell their services online, share test results on websites, and even provide guides on how to find relatives in phone directories or share results on social media. They frequently claim ownership of your genetic information and sell access to their databases to large pharmaceutical and medical technology firms.

Assessment of the Data Sharing and Privacy Practices of Smartphone Apps for Depression and Smoking Cessation

An article from the JAMA Open Network

Nathan E Botts 0 23211 Article rating: 5.0

An article posted in the Journal of the American Medical Association identified that some of the highest-ranking health apps used to assist people with mental health conditions (e.g. depression) and smoking cessation were sharing data with Facebook and Google services and that only a third disclosed such practices.

What are the risks associated with mobile device apps?

An article from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Nathan E Botts 0 21875 Article rating: 5.0

This is based on an article from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). CISA is the Nation’s risk advisor, working with partners to defend against today’s threats and collaborating to build a more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future. CISA provides extensive cybersecurity and infrastructure security knowledge which can assist people in applying better personal health information risk management. 

In this article, CISA explains risks associated with mobile device apps and some preventive methods that can be used to better secure your personal information.

Why it's Important to Check Your Health Records

Guidance from the Office for Civil Rights on your right to access your health records

Nathan E Botts 0 36182 Article rating: 5.0

From the HHS Office for Civil Rights website: Ask your doctor. You have the right to see and get copies of your health information - PDF. In most cases, you can get a copy the way you want it, such as by e-mail. While your doctor normally has up to 30 days to provide you a copy of your information, your doctor often can provide the information much sooner than that. If your doctor offers a web portal, you may be able to easily view and download your health information whenever you want.

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