THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF MENTAL HEALTH APPS AVAILABLE ON YOUR PHONE AND COMPUTER.

THEY PROMISED ALL KINDS OF SERVICES.

THEY CAN BE HELPFUL BUT WHAT HAPPENS WITH PERSONAL INFORMATION?

>> DEMAND FOR MENTAL HEALTH CARE SWORD DURING THE PANDEMIC, AND MANY AMERICANS TURNED TO THESE APPS FOR CARE.

USERS ARE ASKED TO FILL OUT PERSONAL AND MEDICAL HISTORIES AND ANSWER MENTAL HEALTH SURVEYS MUCH AS HE WOULD AT A DOCTOR'S OFFICE.

BUT, THERE IS NO OVERSIGHT PROTECTED OVERSIGHT.

DUKE UNIVERSITY FOUND DATA BROKERS WERE SELLING INFORMATION.

MANY REMOVED PERSONAL INFORMATION BUT SOME INCLUDED NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF INDIVIDUAL SEEKING CARE.

JUSTIN IS A SENIOR FELLOW WHO RUNS THE BROKERAGE PROJECT AND OVERSAW THIS RECENT REPORT.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

I IMAGINE PEOPLE WOULD BE ALARMED TO KNOW THE DATA BROKERS ARE SELLING THIS INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY TO IS CONNECTED TO THEIR NAMES.

CAN YOU GIVE US A SENSE OF HOW SPECIFIC IS THE DATA THAT IS BEING SOLD?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

WE UNCOVERED A RANGE OF DATA ABOUT ALL CONTINENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS.

IT RANGES FROM DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY TO PTSD, OCD.

PEOPLE BATTLING TRAUMA AND PEOPLE WHO STROKES.

IF YOU IMAGINE A SPREADSHEET WITH ROSE, PERHAPS IT WAS LIKE HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE ZIP CODE HAVE DEPRESSION?

THEY MIGHT HAVE THE DATA BUT THE BROKER WAS NOT SELLING PEOPLE'S NAMES.

WE FOUND CASES WHERE THERE WOULD BE NAMES ATTACHED AND ADDRESSES OR EMAILS, AND EVEN DATA ON RACE AND ETHNICITY AND HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE IN THE HOME.

>> CAN YOU HAVE ME UNDERSTAND THE MARKET PLACE?

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF SELLING AND RESELLING THIS INFORMATION?

>> MOST AMERICANS ASSUME HEALTH DATA IS PROTECTED ALL THE TIME.

UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S NOT TRUE.

THERE ARE RANGE OF COMPANIES WERE NOT COVERED BY THE NARROW HEALTH PRIVACY REGULATIONS WE HAVE.

THEY ARE FREE, LEGALLY TO COLLECT AND SHARE AND SELL THIS DATA.

IT ENABLES A RANGE OF COMPANIES WHO CAN'T GET THIS NORMALLY, ADVERTISING FIRMS, BIG PHARMA, HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES TO BUY UP THIS DATA AND DO THINGS AND RUN ADS, ABOUT CONSUMERS.

TO MAKE DETERMINATIONS ABOUT HEALTH CARE PRICING.

BROKERS ENABLE THE DATA TO GET THAT INFORMATION.

>> THAT SAY SOMEONE IS WATCHING IT IS CONCERNED THEY MIGHT HAVE INFORMATION THEY WANT TO PROTECT.

CAN THEY CALL THE COMPANIES AND SAY DO NOT SHARE?

CAN THEY GET IT DELETED?

>> THERE ARE SOME PLACES IN THE UNITED STATES WHERE CONSUMERS CAN TELL COMPANIES TO NOT SELL THEIR INFORMATION.

CALIFORNIA ALLOWS CONSUMERS TO DO THIS.

NOT EVERY STATE HAS THESE RULES.

WE DON'T HAVE THEM FEDERALLY.

THE REAL CHALLENGE IS MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT AWARE THE DATA IS BEING COLLECTED IN THE FIRST PLACE.

EVEN IF YOU KNEW IT WAS, WOULD GO TO TO TELL THEM TO STOP SELLING THE INFORMATION?

THE OBSCURITY AND SHADOWS MAKES IT HARD FOR CONSUMERS THEMSELVES TO BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT STRONGER PRIVACY REGULATIONS.

>> DO YOU KNOW ANY EFFORTS TO TRY AND TIGHTEN THOSE REGULATIONS?

>> THERE ARE SOME UNDERWAY.

THE FTC RECENTLY TOOK ACTION AGAINST A LARGE PRESCRIPTION PROVIDER BECAUSE THEY WERE FALSELY ADVERTISING THAT IT WAS REGULATED BY HEALTH PRIVACY LAWS WHEN IT WAS NOT.

IT WAS SECRETLY SHARING HEALTH DATA WITH FACEBOOK, GOOGLE AND OTHER COMPANIES.

THERE IS SOME SPACE FOR REGULATORS TO COME IN AND SAY THIS IS DECEPTIVE.

THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN A COUPLE OF BILLS OF THE FEDERAL LEVEL TO ADDRESS THIS.

WE HAVE PRIVACY BATTLES ONGOING IN CONGRESS.

>> DUSTIN SHERMAN AT DUKE UNIVERSITY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.