The developer of fertility logging app Premom, Easy Healthcare, has reached an agreement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its sharing of user information with advertisers.
Under the settlement, Easy Healthcare will pay $100,000 and request the deletion of user data by advertising and analytics companies, including Google and Alibaba-owned Umeng. The company had previously misled users by falsely claiming it would not share their data with advertisers, leading to a complaint filed against them.
The settlement, which needs court approval, aims to avoid further litigation and requires Easy Healthcare to adhere to its commitment of not selling or sharing users’ health information with third parties.
The company had shared identifiable health information with third parties in 2018, including Chinese companies Jiguang and Umeng, until being alerted by Google Play store policies in 2020. The FTC’s complaint invokes the Health Breach Notification Rule to assert violations by Easy Healthcare.
This case reflects the FTC’s expanded interpretation of the Health Breach Notification Rule, which now covers incidents of unauthorized access and includes health records obtained through various sources. The FTC aims to send a strong message that health privacy abuses will not be tolerated.
Easy Healthcare is also facing a proposed class-action lawsuit related to the data sharing, highlighting the broader concerns around data privacy and security in the healthcare app industry.
