Senators Question BetterHelp, Talkspace About Privacy Concerns

pcmag.com:

A trio of Democratic senators have sent letters to executives at BetterHelp and Talkspace requesting additional information about how their mental health apps manage user data.

Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent the letters to BetterHelp president Alon Matas and Talkspace chairman Douglas Braunstein on June 22. Both executives were asked to submit their answers to the senators' questions by July 6.

Those questions concern what information the mental health apps share with "advertisers, data brokers, research and analytics firms, and social media sites including Meta"; how they anonymize user data; and how much control those users have over their personal data.

The senators say "there is mounting evidence that platforms marketing themselves as a 'cost-effective alternative to traditional therapy' are collecting, mining, and disseminating private information about their clients" by exploiting a "regulatory gray area" regarding telehealth apps.

The senators explain:

"We have long been concerned about the misuse of personal data by Big Tech companies and unscrupulous data brokers, especially for the purpose of microtargeting vulnerable populations. Unfortunately, it appears possible that the policies used by your company and similar mental health platforms allow third-party Big Tech firms and data brokers, who have shown remarkably little interest in protecting vulnerable consumers and users, to access and use highly confidential personal and medical information."

These letters were sent weeks after Mozilla revealed that many of the mental health apps it examined for its Privacy Not Included buying guide, including BetterHelp(Opens in a new window) and Talkspace(Opens in a new