Healthcare smartphone apps continue to gain popularity, serving as convenient portals for consumers to monitor their health with a touch of a button. But consumers may want to think twice before inputting private health information into any app’s database, based on new research published in BMC Medicine, according to Medical Xpress.
Even if apps received clinical accreditation, Imperial College London, United Kingdom researchers found that some don’t follow data protection protocols. This means potential privacy breaches for consumers.
Here are three key facts about the study:
1. Headed by Kit Huckvale, the research team analyzed 79 apps over six months, testing how each app processed inputted information.
2. The researchers found 70 of the apps sent information to online services, and 23 of the apps sent identity information without encryption.
3. Four of the apps sent identity and health information without encryption.
To address the problem of faulty security associated with healthcare apps, several app accreditation programs have been created. In order to receive accreditation from UK’s NHS Health Apps Library, apps are tested for clinical safety and data protection.
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