Capitalizing on the pandemic explosion in telehealth and therapy apps that collect details of your mental health needs, data brokers are packaging that information for resale, a new study finds. There’s no law stopping them.
For years, data brokers have operated in a controversial corner of the internet economy, collecting and reselling Americans’ personal information for government or commercial use, such as targeted ads.
But the pandemic-era rise of telehealth and therapy apps has fueled an even more contentious product line: Americans’ mental health data. And the sale of it is perfectly legal in the United States, even without the person’s knowledge or consent.
