New Publication: «Privacy, Data Sharing, and Data Security Policies of Women’s mHealth Apps: Scoping Review and Content Analysis»
Najd Alfawzan, Markus Christen, Giovanni Spitale and Nikola Biller-Andorno published «Privacy, Data Sharing, and Data Security Policies of Women’s mHealth Apps: Scoping Review and Content Analysis» in JMIR Mhealth Uhealth.
Abstract
Background:
Women’s mobile health (mHealth) is a growing phenomenon in the mobile app global market. An increasing number of women worldwide use apps geared to female audiences (female technology). Given the often private and sensitive nature of the data collected by such apps, an ethical assessment from the perspective of data privacy, sharing, and security policies is warranted.
Objective:
The purpose of this scoping review and content analysis was to assess the privacy policies, data sharing, and security policies of women’s mHealth apps on the current international market (the App Store on the Apple operating system [iOS] and Google Play on the Android system).
Methods:
We reviewed the 23 most popular women’s mHealth apps on the market by focusing on publicly available apps on the App Store and Google Play. The 23 downloaded apps were assessed manually by 2 independent reviewers against a variety of user data privacy, data sharing, and security assessment criteria.
Results:
All 23 apps collected personal health-related data. All apps allowed behavioral tracking, and 61% (14/23) of the apps allowed location tracking. Of the 23 apps, only 16 (70%) displayed a privacy policy, 12 (52%) requested consent from users, and 1 (4%) had a pseudoconsent. In addition, 13% (3/23) of the apps collected data before obtaining consent. Most apps (20/23, 87%) shared user data with third parties, and data sharing information could not be obtained for the 13% (3/23) remaining apps. Of the 23 apps, only 13 (57%) provided users with information on data security.
Conclusions:
Many of the most popular women’s mHealth apps on the market have poor data privacy, sharing, and security standards. Although regulations exist, such as the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, current practices do not follow them. The failure of the assessed women’s mHealth apps to meet basic data privacy, sharing, and security standards is not ethically or legally acceptable.
More news
- Media: Study published by Alfawzan et al. has been covered in different international news media outlets
- Eleonora Viganò’s paper accepted at the ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT) 2022
- Medien: Nikola Biller-Andorno äusserte sich in der NZZ zum Metaverse.
- New publication by Tanja Krones: «Gesundheitliche Vorausplanung ("Advance Care Planning") für valide umsetzbare Patientenverfügungen»
- New publication edited by Eleonora Viganò: «Ethical, Legal and Social Issues of Big Data – a Comprehensive Overview»
- IBME scholar Jana Sedlakova gains a highly competitive DSI excellence scholarship.
- Seminar: Ethical and Social Aspects of Digital Health and Well-being
- New publication by Supriya Subramani and Nikola Biller-Andorno: «Revisiting respect for persons: conceptual analysis and implications for clinical practice»
- New publication by Jana Sedlakova & Manuel Trachsel «Conversational Artificial Intelligence in Psychotherapy: A New Therapeutic Tool or Agent?»
- Forum for Global Health Ethics Webinar: Offering Financial Incentives to Participants in Health and Breastfeeding Research
- New publication by Tania Manríquez Roa and Nikola Biller-Andorno
- New publication by Tanja Krones et al. «Inequitable Access to Transplants: Adults With Impaired Decision-Making Capacity»
- New publication by Felicitas Holzer, Tania Manriquez, Federico Germani, Nikola Biller-Andorno and Florencia Luna
- We are delighted to invite you to a free LactaWebinar on 10 March 2022
- New publication by Giovanni Spitale, Nikola Biller-Andorno and Federico Germani: «Concerns Around Opposition to the Green Pass in Italy: Social Listening Analysis by Using a Mixed Methods Approach»
- Medien: Nikola Biller-Andorno im Interview mit der NZZ zu künstlicher Intelligenz in der Medizin
- Medien: Nikola Biller-Andorno und Johannes Willi im SRF
- New Publication: «What does coercion in intensive care mean for patients and their relatives? A thematic qualitative study»
- New Blog article by Supriya Subramani: «Poverty-induced stigma, shame and humiliation in healthcare settings»
- New publication by Ning Wang, Markus Christen, Matthew Hunt, and Nikola Biller-Andorno