Sensitive Data Acquisition: The Health Feed

Context

An app developer offers access to sensitive health data for targeted ads. While their terms allow this, user consent is ambiguous, and public awareness could lead to backlash. This would significantly enhance ad effectiveness.

Dilemma

Do you:
A) Accept the partnership, using health data to maximize ad effectiveness and revenue, or
B) Decline, prioritizing user privacy and avoiding potential risks?

Summary

Several apps, including health trackers, are sending sensitive user data like heart rates and pregnancy status to Facebook without consent. Facebook's "App Events" tool enables this, despite terms prohibiting such sharing. Users are outraged, citing dishonesty and privacy violations. Flo Health, an app involved, claims data is for internal analytics, but will audit its tools. This adds to Facebook's privacy scrutiny, following Cambridge Analytica and calls for stricter regulations.

Resources:

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-reportedly-received-sensitive-health-data-from-apps-without-consent/