Beware of what you share: Mental health apps privacy concerns
As a result of the pandemic shutting therapists’ offices and creating long waiting lists, some patients turned to mental health apps. In 2021, mental health apps acquired $4.4 billion dollars globally. $1.4 billion dollars have been poured into the industry so far this year. Mental health apps provide on-demand resources; however, the accessibility creates privacy concerns.
In Mozilla’s latest “privacy not included” report, 28 out of the top 32 mental health apps had significant privacy concerns. BetterHelp, Woebot, and Talkspace have the worst privacy and security standards. According to the report, BetterHelp’s privacy policies are obscure, Woebot shares personal information with third parties, and Talkspace saves chat transcripts. PTSD Coach and Wysa are the apps with the best security controls.
How to better protect your privacy when using apps
Don’t use social media accounts to login.
Set up multifactor authentication, or two-factor authentication.
Limit location permissions only when apps are being used.
Keep apps updated.
Delete unnecessary apps.
Apps and digital health resources reviewed by experts