Healthcare and Data Tracking – Rickard & Associates
Recently, Facebook’s parent company Meta was fined by the European Union regarding its privacy policies and advertisement targeting.
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The recent decision in the EU may impact how Meta operates in the United States.
The ruling found that Meta violated the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which provides individuals with the right to reject the collection and processing of personal data for advertisement targeting.
Meta plans on appealing to the ruling.
In the United States, Meta is fighting lawsuits in regards to healthcare data privacy.
Meta currently uses tracking information to personalize ads that users see while on Facebook or Instagram. When this is curbed by users preventing tracking, it causes a loss of returns to advertisers.
However, in the healthcare space, there are greater concerns related to protecting personal healthcare information.
Some privacy laws within the US look more like the GDPR with greater requirements when tracking personal information.
The GDPR decision requires Meta to ask users for consent, have a version of social media that does not use personal data, and allows users to withdraw consent at any time without limitations to the service.
Under the ruling, Meta is still able to use non-personal data to personalize ads or ask users to consent to ads with a yes or no.
Meta is currently in court related to the tracking of HIPAA-protected patient data in Doe v Meta Platforms, Inc.
It is likely that Meta will appeal any losses or fines related to tracking personal information and protected health information.
If you have questions or need help with your healthcare practice’s legal needs or protection of your practice’s PHI, contact Rickard & Associates today.
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