Data and privacy in digital healthcare – WFHB
Data and privacy in digital healthcare – WFHB
https://wfhb.org/data-and-privacy-in-digital-healthcare/
Publish Date: 2026-06-24 14:50:00
Source Domain: wfhb.org
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by Elena Bai
Recently, a series of privacy cases have been brought against digital mental health providers in the state of California for failing to prevent tracking by Meta pixels on their platforms. These include the IU-contracted mental health platform Talkiatry, LLC, which was allegedly allowing for tracking patients’ answers on intake surveys and location data.
This set of cases has brought discussions surrounding privacy rights in digital and health information at a time of heightened public and private surveillance. Experts say that these privacy concerns may further build distrust in the mental health care system and discourage people from seeking help.
Diana Reis, MD, practicing psychiatrist and secretary of Good Trouble Coalition, by Rising Tide Psychiatry
According to psychiatrist Dr. Diana Reis, member of the Good Trouble Coalition, the stigma against mental disabilities is part of the reason that mental health data is sensitive. Mental health diagnoses have historically been weaponized against individuals and marginalized groups.
“It is a standard- kind of one of the standard tools of repression that almost any group in power seems to use as a way of discrediting, silencing, or imprisoning a group of people, even if that group of people have not committed something that’s broadly recognized as a crime,” said Reis.
As a result, some of Reis’ patients prioritize privacy and limiting who has access to their data.
“I certainly have people who I know come to see me partly because they don’t want records of their mental health care to be contained under the organization where they work,” added Reis.
Legally speaking, however, Dr. Beth Cate, professor of law and public affairs at IU, explains that digital privacy protections often lag behind the development of technology.
Dr. Beth Cate, clinical associate professor at IU Bloomington’s…
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