The FTC has proposed fining millions of dollars for online counseling firms that break promises to their customers by sharing sensitive health information for advertising.
In addition to the $7.8 million fine, BetterHelp will be prohibited from sharing consumer health data, including information about mental health issues, for advertising purposes, pursuant to the terms of the order.
The California-based company offers online counseling services under a variety of brands, including Faithful Counseling for Christians, Pride Counseling for the LGBTQ community, and Teen Counseling for younger clients.
According to the FTC, before clients are matched with a counselor, they must complete a questionnaire asking for sensitive mental health information, such as whether they have experienced depression or suicidal thoughts and whether they are taking medication. . It also includes personally identifiable information such as name, email address, and date of birth.
Although BetterHelp has promised not to use or disclose this information except for limited purposes such as providing counseling, in practice BetterHelp uses customer email addresses, IP addresses, and health survey information on Facebook, The regulator claims it was shared with Snapchat, Criteo and Pinterest.
Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Office of Consumer Protection, said: “When people struggling with mental health issues seek help, they’re vulnerable moments, and professional counseling services can protect their privacy. I hope so.
“Instead, BetterHelp betrayed consumers’ most personal health information for profit. It reminds me strongly.”
The FTC says BetterHelp generated millions in revenue and acquired tens of thousands of new customers after Facebook used this data to identify similar consumers and target them with ads for its counseling service. I claimed.
BetterHelp also misled users and the public in 2020 by falsely denying news reports that it revealed consumer personal information, the FTC complaint alleges.
