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an international study that demonstrated that out of 24 mobile health (mHealth) apps, 19 shared user data with parent companies and service providers (third par

an international study that demonstrated that out of 24 mobile health (mHealth) apps, 19 shared user data with parent companies and service providers (third parties). They also showed that third parties shared user data with 216 fourth parties, including multinational technology companies, digital advertising companies, telecommunications corporations, and a consumer credit reporting agency. But what data are they collecting? Things available via JavaScript, tracking pixels, phone characteristics - most definitely. But the raw data about their pregnancies that users enter into tracking apps? While that’s entirely possible, Citation Needed.

aboringusername 6y ago
I've seen examples of encrypted payloads being sent to various third parties on the internet, it would be very time consuming to try and determine what that data actually is. In my opinion, the OS should let you deny the "internet" permission on any app, no reason why it should need it if I don't want to risk my data being uploaded without my consent.
- WalterGR 6y ago
  I've seen examples of encrypted payloads being sent to various third parties on the internet Do you mean sent via https or encrypted in JavaScript before transmission? If the former, that’s pretty par for the course. it would be very time consuming to try and determine what that data actually is. It would be easy for a researcher who wants to answer the question: what data is it? JavaScript debugger + breakpoints.
- renewiltord 6y ago
  You can just use GDPR and CCPA to demand the data they have on you if you want to find out.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
nomdep 6y ago
At least for the Flo set of apps, yes, everything: https://mashable.com/article/flo-period-tracking-app-will-stop-sharing-data-with-facebook/ https://mashable.com/article/flo-period-tracking-app-will-st... https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-give-apps-sensitive-personal-information-then-they-tell-facebook-11550851636 https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-give-apps-sensitive-persona...
- WalterGR 6y ago
  I’m not trying to be obtuse - I understand the risks here - and I don’t want to get into an argument about semantics - but Populating a variable based on the current user so as to segment them in analytics or advertising - regardless of whether it’s that the user is pregnant or they said their favorite color is blue - is different than “sharing” structured pregnancy data or favorite color data that a 3rd party can inspect. If this sort of wide-scale actual sharing of data exists, then I’d expect to see job postings for the role of coordinating data exchange, schemas for pregnancy data in XML format, API documentation for transmitting ‘sensitive’ data to 3rd parties, leaks containing this sort of sensitive data in unexpected places, etc. That said, the title of the article says “profiling” and not “sharing”, so maybe Facebook and Google can derive that particular theoretically opaque segmentation values from particular apps represent pregnancy status. Or maybe an opaque, trained model outputs that for certain users with certain segmentation values in certain apps, those users are more likely to click on ads relating to pregnancy. Edit: The WSJ article notes that Facebook has acknowledged that the latter is possible via a filed patent. FB say it doesn’t use that technique.
082349872349872 6y ago
It's not just mHealth, normal consumer companies attempt to predict incipient new family members as well.

aboringusername 6y ago

I've seen examples of encrypted payloads being sent to various third parties on the internet, it would be very time consuming to try and determine what that data actually is. In my opinion, the OS should let you deny the "internet" permission on any app, no reason why it should need it if I don't want to risk my data being uploaded without my consent.

WalterGR 6y ago
I've seen examples of encrypted payloads being sent to various third parties on the internet Do you mean sent via https or encrypted in JavaScript before transmission? If the former, that’s pretty par for the course. it would be very time consuming to try and determine what that data actually is. It would be easy for a researcher who wants to answer the question: what data is it? JavaScript debugger + breakpoints.
renewiltord 6y ago
You can just use GDPR and CCPA to demand the data they have on you if you want to find out.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

nomdep 6y ago

At least for the Flo set of apps, yes, everything: https://mashable.com/article/flo-period-tracking-app-will-stop-sharing-data-with-facebook/ https://mashable.com/article/flo-period-tracking-app-will-st... https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-give-apps-sensitive-personal-information-then-they-tell-facebook-11550851636 https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-give-apps-sensitive-persona...

WalterGR 6y ago
I’m not trying to be obtuse - I understand the risks here - and I don’t want to get into an argument about semantics - but Populating a variable based on the current user so as to segment them in analytics or advertising - regardless of whether it’s that the user is pregnant or they said their favorite color is blue - is different than “sharing” structured pregnancy data or favorite color data that a 3rd party can inspect. If this sort of wide-scale actual sharing of data exists, then I’d expect to see job postings for the role of coordinating data exchange, schemas for pregnancy data in XML format, API documentation for transmitting ‘sensitive’ data to 3rd parties, leaks containing this sort of sensitive data in unexpected places, etc. That said, the title of the article says “profiling” and not “sharing”, so maybe Facebook and Google can derive that particular theoretically opaque segmentation values from particular apps represent pregnancy status. Or maybe an opaque, trained model outputs that for certain users with certain segmentation values in certain apps, those users are more likely to click on ads relating to pregnancy. Edit: The WSJ article notes that Facebook has acknowledged that the latter is possible via a filed patent. FB say it doesn’t use that technique.

082349872349872 6y ago

It's not just mHealth, normal consumer companies attempt to predict incipient new family members as well.