You probably know that the digital health industry is a profitable business. Today, hundreds of applications for health monitoring, thousands of different healthcare technologies, gadgets and even microchips are available to us.
It would seem that such things and technologies are produced with the aim of helping people improve their health. However, not everyone knows that some things can be used against us.
There are over 200,000 health-related mobile apps on Google Play and Apple Store. How do such programs work? They track our movement and various other factors using sensors and other tools. This information can influence the way we treat ourselves and improve our health. But these opportunities also carry enormous responsibilities. Problems can arise in the area of ethics and safety.
How Can Health Apps and Healthcare Devices Work against Us?
1. Your healthcare device can spy on you
Some companies use unethical and illegal ways to collect information and monitor their potential and already existing customers and clients.
A study by EBlocker Company, that was sponsored by one Swiss newspaper, has found that healthcare industry websites monitor user activity through location-tracking programs. One company, for example, had 33 such programs.
Many people do not even suspect that a lot of information is being tracked, for example, when they visit a medical site in search of recommendations and enter the name of a disease in the search bar. By googling the symptoms of the disease, you can start the process of tracking your actions by medical sites.
2. The cost of your health insurance may increase
One of the oldest and largest insurance companies in the United States recently introduced a few new rules. A transition to exclusively interactive methods was announced, in which activity and health data are transmitted through wearable devices and smartphones.
The company representatives said they would encourage people who living healthier lives. It will appear in the form of discounts and gifts. It sounds good. But some experts believe that this may lead to the fact that the cost of health insurance for other customers may increase due to fines or punishment for refusing to use interactive devices.