BetterHelp Faces FTC Scrutiny Over Sensitive Health Data Sharing, Pays $7.8 Million to Consumers
BetterHelp, an online therapy platform, was subject to an order from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2023 concerning the disclosure of sensitive personal health data to advertising platforms. The FTC found that BetterHelp shared identifiable health information, including diagnoses and treatment types, with ad platforms like Meta/Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Criteo for targeting purposes. This action led to BetterHelp being ordered to pay $7.8 million to consumers. The FTC's ruling did not fault the company for running advertisements but rather for the nature of the data used to feed the targeting pipelines behind those ads. A similar case in 2024 involved Cerebral, which was ordered to pay over $7 million for comparable data sharing practices. These cases highlight the FTC's focus on protecting sensitive health data in the context of digital advertising.
