Last fall, Facebook announced that it was making a push into the healthcare industry, allowing users to opt into checkup reminders and personalized preventative healthcare recommendations. Of course, these tools could only provide information to users if they first gave Facebook their data. And as the Preventative Health feature rolls out across the platform, many experts are concerned for its potential privacy ramifications.

Of course, Facebook’s reputation for protecting its users’ information is already severely damaged. That’s why giving it our private health data can feel like a bridge too far. For its part, Facebook said it will not share the info it collects through the tool with third parties. It also doesn’t ask you for the results of any checkups or procedures you may have. However, the fact that the social media giant wants in to such a sensitive area of peoples’ lives has many experts and users uneasy.

“I don’t think Facebook has acquitted itself very well, in terms of protecting privacy, given their history, and their reluctance to admit their problems,” Dr. Vish Viswanath, a professor at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, told Mashable India. “Over time, to me, it is an empirical question, to see how this will work out and see if it really makes the big difference.”

Indeed, if Facebook earnestly wants to make a play in the healthcare field, it may need to do a lot of work first to win back user trust.

Recommended Resources

The Choice of Tech Experts Worldwide. Try 90 days free of Bitdefender 2020 and experience the highest level of digital safety.

Private Internet Access is an award-winning, cost-effective VPN solution. The use of an anonymous and trusted VPN is essential to your online privacy, security and identity protection.

System Mechanic 14 – Make your computer run like new. Winner of 200+ Editor’s Choice awards!