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Omaha Steve

(99,054 posts)
Tue Jan 20, 2015, 09:55 AM Jan 2015

New privacy concerns over government's health care website

Source: AP-Excite

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR and JACK GILLUM

WASHINGTON (AP) — A little-known side to the government's health insurance website is prompting renewed concerns about privacy, just as the White House is calling for stronger cybersecurity protections for consumers.

It works like this: When you apply for coverage on HealthCare.gov, dozens of data companies may be able to tell that you are on the site. Some can even glean details such as your age, income, ZIP code, whether you smoke or if you are pregnant.

The data firms have embedded connections on the government site. Ever-evolving technology allows for individual Internet users to be tracked, building profiles that are a vital tool for advertisers.

Connections to multiple third-party tech firms were documented by technology experts who analyzed HealthCare.gov, and confirmed by The Associated Press. There is no evidence that personal information from HealthCare.gov has been misused, but the number of outside connections is raising questions.

FULL story at link.



FILE - This Nov. 12, 2014 file photo shows the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, on a laptop screen, shown in Portland, Ore. A little-known side to the government{2019}s health insurance website, HealthCare.gov, is prompting renewed concerns about privacy, just as the White House is calling for stronger cybersecurity protections for consumers. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150120/us--health_overhaul-privacy-8b7c5d925b.html

13 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

Trillo

(9,154 posts)
2. Why do companies need to know any information about non-clients?
Tue Jan 20, 2015, 12:13 PM
Jan 2015

Someone browsing is not a client, just a lookyloo.

If the person browsing is providing data which the companies want to analyze (or even simply save, merely saving information implies it has value), then perhaps that person should be paid for each click and scroll.

 

fbc

(1,668 posts)
4. The Democratic Underground home page makes over 20 separate requests to third party tech firms
Tue Jan 20, 2015, 01:56 PM
Jan 2015

Are those companies tracking your political opinions??!!

Hey, I report, you decide.

Orsino

(37,428 posts)
9. Yes. Dumbass fear-mongering.
Wed Jan 21, 2015, 09:47 AM
Jan 2015

There are genuine concerns about corporations eadily harvesting and mining our data, but that's not why this story was published.

 

fbc

(1,668 posts)
3. The media understands technology less than they understand government.
Tue Jan 20, 2015, 01:49 PM
Jan 2015

from the article: "raises questions" and "questions linger"

Then do your jobs, idiots, and contact someone that can answer those questions.

This seems like a political hit piece to me.

cynzke

(1,254 posts)
5. While it may be unintended here.....
Tue Jan 20, 2015, 05:46 PM
Jan 2015

The GOP would GLADLY sell your info to their highest donors should they ever develop their own plan and program.

OhioChick

(23,218 posts)
6. Oops, Sorry Steve
Wed Jan 21, 2015, 12:04 AM
Jan 2015

I didn't see that you had already posted this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014993540

Source: AP

Published: Today

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government's health insurance website is quietly sending consumers' personal data to private companies that specialize in advertising and analyzing Internet data for performance and marketing, The Associated Press has learned.

The scope of what is disclosed or how it might be used was not immediately clear, but it can include age, income, ZIP code, whether a person smokes, and if a person is pregnant. It can include a computer's Internet address, which can identify a person's name or address when combined with other information collected by sophisticated online marketing or advertising firms.

The Obama administration says HealthCare.gov's connections to data firms were intended to help improve the consumer experience. Officials said outside firms are barred from using the data to further their own business interests.

There is no evidence that personal information has been misused. But connections to dozens of third-party tech firms were documented by technology experts who analyzed HealthCare.gov and then confirmed by AP. A handful of the companies were also collecting highly specific information. That combination is raising concerns.

Read more: http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_289563/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=Py6rd7WO

HealthCare.gov Sends Personal Data to Dozens of Tracking Websites

January 20, 2015

The Associated Press reports that healthcare.gov–the flagship site of the Affordable Care Act, where millions of Americans have signed up to receive health care–is quietly sending personal health information to a number of third party websites. The information being sent includes one's zip code, income level, smoking status, pregnancy status and more.

EFF researchers have independently confirmed that healthcare.gov is sending personal health information to at least 14 third party domains, even if the user has enabled Do Not Track. The information is sent via the referrer header, which contains the URL of the page requesting a third party resource. The referrer header is an essential part of the HTTP protocol, and is sent for every request that is made on the web. The referrer header lets the requested resource know what URL the request came from. This would for example let a website know who else was linking to their pages. In this case however the referrer URL contains personal health information.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/01/healthcare.gov-sends-personal-data

 

quadrature

(2,049 posts)
11. anonymous browsing is not allowed. why is that?
Wed Jan 21, 2015, 11:01 AM
Jan 2015

my understanding is.

you can't...
sign in to healthcaredotgov.

put in, age-zip- income-etc,
without your name,
and look at the policies that
are being offered in your state.

why is that?
this really bothers me.
thanks in advance for any comments.

Babel_17

(5,400 posts)
12. Well, I'll wait for the dust to clear but ...
Wed Jan 21, 2015, 11:29 AM
Jan 2015

Well, I'll wait for the dust to clear but there is a way to collect useful data that doesn't identify individuals. And there is a way to make that voluntary, and to make it so people can choose what level of info they are comfortable sharing, if they choose to share at all.

I think we might have a case where nothing nefarious is going on but it's "just" a matter of there being too much compartmentalization, and some higher ups swimming in unfamiliar waters.

Issues like this is have long ago been addressed by companies like Microsoft, Google, the Mozilla project, Steam, and so on. You tell people up front, you lay it all out, and you give them choices.

Sigh, this might cost us some good will with geeks and privacy advocates who are undecided about voting our way. But if we address it head on we can quickly put it behind us.

P.S. The above is a copy/paste from the thread that was closed for being a duplicate.

Babel_17

(5,400 posts)
13. The dust is clearing, geeks aren't amused
Wed Jan 21, 2015, 11:34 AM
Jan 2015
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/15/01/21/046246/healthcaregov-sends-personal-data-to-over-a-dozen-tracking-websites

Healthcare.gov Sends Personal Data To Over a Dozen Tracking Websites
Posted by Soulskill on Wednesday January 21, 2015 @08:14AM
from the a-bit-too-standard dept.
An anonymous reader tips an Associated Press report saying that Healthcare.gov is sending users' personal data to private companies. The information involved is typical ad-related analytic data: "...it can include age, income, ZIP code, whether a person smokes, and if a person is pregnant. It can include a computer's Internet address, which can identify a person's name or address when combined with other information collected by sophisticated online marketing or advertising firms." The Electronic Frontier Foundation confirmed the report, saying that data is being sent from Healthcare.gov to at least 14 third-party domains.

The EFF says, "Sending such personal information raises significant privacy concerns. A company like Doubleclick, for example, could match up the personal data provided by healthcare.gov with an already extensive trove of information about what you read online and what your buying preferences are to create an extremely detailed profile of exactly who you are and what your interests are. It could do all this based on a tracking cookie that it sets which would be the same across any site you visit. Based on this data, Doubleclick could start showing you smoking ads or infer your risk of cancer based on where you live, how old you are and your status as a smoker. Doubleclick might start to show you ads related to pregnancy, which could have embarrassing and potentially dangerous consequences such as when Target notified a woman's family that she was pregnant before she even told them. "


The comments should have those in charge wincing in pain.
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