Tag: targeting
FTC moves to ban BetterHelp from sharing mental health data for ad targeting
The Federal Trade Commission has moved to block online counseling company BetterHelp from sharing health data, including mental health information, with the likes of Facebook and Snapchat for advertising. As part of a proposed order, BetterHelp has agreed to pay $7.8 million to consumers to settle charges that it shared sensitive data for advertising purposes after promising to keep the information private.
This marks the first time the agency has reached an agreement with a company to return money to consumers after their health data was allegedly compromised. The order will be subject to public comment for 30 days before the agency decides whether to finalize it.
If the order comes into effect, it will ban BetterHelp from sharing data from users (including those who accessed the company’s website or app without signing up for its services) with select third parties for ad targeting. The FTC alleges that between 2017 and 2020, BetterHelp shared users’ email addresses, IPs and health questionnaire responses with Facebook, Snapchat, Criteo and Pinterest. The agency said this allowed Facebook, for instance, to target similar users with BetterHelp ads, which helped to drive tens of thousands of paid users and millions of dollars in revenue to the counseling company.
The FTC claims BetterHelp didn’t receive explicit consent from users before sharing their health data, which it pledged to keep private except for limited uses, such as counseling purposes. In its complaint (PDF), the agency also accused BetterHelp of not limiting the scope of how third-party companies could use the health data it shared with them.
“When a person struggling with mental health issues reaches out for help, they do so in a moment of vulnerability and with an expectation that professional counseling services will protect their privacy,” FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection director Samuel Levine said in a statement. “Instead, BetterHelp betrayed consumers’ most personal health information for profit. Let this proposed order be a stout reminder that the FTC will prioritize defending Americans’ sensitive data from illegal exploitation.”
The proposed order, which FTC commissioners approved unanimously, will require BetterHelp to, among other things, obtain explicit consent from users before sharing their data with some third parties for any reason. The company will need to establish privacy protocols to protect user data and delete personal and health information after a certain period of time. Moreover, BetterHelp will have to instruct the companies it allegedly shared user health and personal data with to wipe such information from their servers.
Here’s BetterHelp’s statement in full:
We are deeply committed to the privacy of our members and we value the trust people put in us by using our services. Our technology, policies and procedures are designed to protect and secure our members’ information so it is not used or shared without their approval and consent.
BetterHelp and the FTC have reached a settlement in regard to BetterHelp’s advertising practices that were in effect between 2017 to 2020. The FTC alleged we used limited, encrypted information to optimize the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns so we could deliver more relevant ads and reach people who may be interested in our services. This industry-standard practice is routinely used by some of the largest health providers, health systems and healthcare brands. Nonetheless, we understand the FTC’s desire to set new precedents around consumer marketing, and we are happy to settle this matter with the agency. This settlement, which is no admission of wrongdoing, allows us to continue to focus on our mission to help millions of people around the world get access to quality therapy.
To clarify, we do not share and have never shared with advertisers, publishers, social media platforms or any other similar third parties, private information such as members’ names or clinical data from therapy sessions. In addition, we do not receive and have never received any payment from any third party for any kind of information about any of our members.
As part of our ongoing investment in privacy, betterhelp.com has recently been certified by HITRUST. This certification is the industry-recognized gold standard for providing the highest level of information protection and compliance assurance because of the comprehensiveness of control requirements, depth of quality review and consistency of oversight. In cooperation with the FTC, we will continue to make industry-leading investments in safeguarding the privacy of our members.
Update 3:27PM ET: Added BetterHelp’s statement.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ftc-moves-to-ban-betterhelp-from-sharing-mental-health-data-for-ad-targeting-184605314.html?src=rss
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Instagram is adding more limits on targeting teens with ads
Instagram is making more changes to the ad experiences for teens as part of an ongoing attempt by the Meta-owned company to stop harming young people.
The platform said in a post that it will further restrict the options advertisers have to reach teens, the ads teens are shown, and more “teen-specific controls and resources.” Young people’s engagement, like who they follow and posts they like, won’t inform the types of ads they see. In February, Instagram will remove gender as an option for advertisers to reach teens.
Advertisers will also only be able to use age and location to reach teens, which, Instagram argues, helps the platform “ensure teens see ads that are meant for their age and products and services available where they live.” In March, teens will also have more ways to manage the ads they see by going to their Ad Preferences and choosing “See Less” or “No Preference.”
This comes a year after the Wall Street Journal‘s Facebook Files, in which leaked documents of Facebook’s own research found that “Instagram is harmful to a sizable percentage of [teens], most notably teenage girls.”
There is, in fact, an ongoing epidemic for young people: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after a stable period from 2000 to 2007, the rate of suicide among people 10 to 24 years old increased by 56 percent from 2007 to 2017. Now, suicide is the second leading cause of death in the age group, following accidents.
Though it’s not the only potential factor, some experts attribute part of the rise in suicide among young people to social media. Instagram launched in 2010 and, according to the Pew Research Center, nearly twice as many teens said they used the internet “almost constantly” in 2018 than in 2014.
The attorneys general of 10 states are investigating Instagram’s effects on teens, and that’s just in the U.S. — the European Union has already fined Meta multiple millions of euros for allegedly mishandling privacy settings for young people.
All the while, Instagram is struggling to compete with other apps young people use more, like Snapchat or TikTok.
If you’re feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988; the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860; or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text “START” to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don’t like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat at crisischat.org. Here is a list of international resources.
Facebook and Instagram will limit ads targeting teens based on gender (updated)
Meta is taking more steps to limit potentially harmful ad campaigns. The company is placing more restrictions on advertisers’ ability to target teens. From February onward, Facebook and Instagram will no longer let marketers aim ads at teens based on gender — only age and location.
In March, Meta will expand the ad preferences in Facebook and Instagram to let teens see fewer sales pitches for a given topic. Teens could already hide the ads from specific advertisers, but this gives them the choice of automatically downplaying whole categories like TV dramas or footwear.
The social media giant has put ever-tighter restrictions on the content teens can access. In 2021, Facebook and Instagram barred advertisers from using teens’ interests to target ads. Instagram also made accounts private by default for teens under 16, and this year limited sensitive content for all new teen users. Meta has likewise limited the ability of “suspicious” adults to message teens on both platforms.
This is the second major ad policy change in a week. Just a day before, Meta rolled out an AI-based system meant to reduce discriminatory ad distribution. The technology is launching as part of a settlement with the federal government over charges that Facebook let companies target ads based on ethnicity, gender and other protected classes.
As with those earlier efforts, Meta has a strong incentive to act. The attorneys general of 10 states are investigating Instagram’s effects on teens, while the European Union recently fined Meta the equivalent of $402 million for allegedly mishandling privacy settings for younger users. Governments are concerned that Meta might be exploiting teens’ usage habits or exposing them to threats, including content that could lead to mental health issues. The new protections won’t solve these problems by themselves, but they might show officials that Meta is serious about curbing ads that prey on teens.
Update 1/10 2:39PM ET: Meta says it already prevents ads from targeting teens based on follows and likes. We’ve updated the story accordingly.