> it really sucks to get ads targeted at my mental health diagnoses I am extremely cautious to never look up health info without using a VPN and to never discu

> it really sucks to get ads targeted at my mental health diagnoses I am extremely cautious to never look up health info without using a VPN and to never discuss health in email exchanges. After receiving a diagnosis from my doctor some years ago for a condition, a week later I received a targeted snail mail ad for the condition using my full legal name, which only the DMV, my doctor, and the property assessor use. All web stuff, purchases, email, use a nickname instead. I discussed it with the doctor's office. They said they are HIPAA compliant and wouldn't say more other than referring me to their privacy policy. The privacy policy like ALL medical privacy statements these days contains vague information about "sharing" with third parties and partners in certain circumstances which as written don't appear to be selling private medical data for advertising, but clearly do. Currently when seeing new doctors I use a fake name, pay cash, and give them a phone number to a phone separate from my normal one, which I bought with cash and never associate with my own name. Works for prescriptions for the most part too since I pay cash for that as well and id is only required for narcotics. Since then, not so many targeted ads.