Why GoodRx Emails Customers to Share Their Health Information | CNN Business
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GoodRx customers who typically receive emails about prescription drug offers and refill reminders from the company saw something very different in their inboxes this week.
GoodRX sent a notice to users detailing Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company shared sensitive health data with third parties for advertising purposes without customers’ permission.
“This information included details about the drugs and health conditions people searched for and their prescription drugs,” the company wrote in the notice emailed to customers and posted on its website. “We shared this information with third parties, including Facebook. In some cases, GoodRx used the information to target people with health-related ads.”
The alert comes a month after the FTC announced a formal settlement with the digital health platform and issued a “first-of-its-kind proposed order” barring the company from sharing its customers’ health data with other companies for advertising .
GoodRx has previously denied wrongdoing. “We disagree with the FTC’s allegations and admit no wrongdoing,” the company wrote in February. “Entering into the settlement allows us to avoid the time and expense of protracted litigation.”
GoodRX, accessible online and via a mobile app, offers telehealth visits and prescription drug coupons to users, but the FTC alleges its privacy practices have been “not so good.”
The company said the timing of this week’s communication was specified in the FTC settlement.
Still, the warning seemed to catch some customers off guard. Users took to social media to express concern about the email, with some wondering how much money the company could have made from their health data and others swearing off the service.
In addition to paying a $1.5 million civil penalty, the company has agreed to an order requiring other steps, including requiring third parties to delete consumer health data and creating a “program of comprehensive privacy”.
