An analysis of 80,000 healthcare web pages shows that nine of 10 visits results in personal health information being leaked to third parties.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, used a software tool that investigates HTTP requests, finding that 91 percent of health-related web pages send HTTP requests to third parties. Approximately 70 percent of these requests are linked to specific symptoms, and the vast majority of the information goes to online advertisers. Google, for instance, collects information from 78 percent of pages, according to the study.
Timothy Libert, the main researcher, pointed out in the article that HIPAA's regulations do not apply to the practices of third party commercial entities or data brokers, so they are not subject to health information privacy laws.
"This study demonstrates that data on online health information seeking is being collected by entities not subject to regulation oversight," Mr. Libert said in a news release. "This information can be inadvertently misused, sold or even stolen. Clearly, there is a need for discussion with respect to legislation, policies and oversight to address health privacy in the age of the Internet."