Facebook Wants You to Trust Them with Your Healthcare

While it may seem that Facebook has already infiltrated every aspect of our lives, there is one area which has conspicuously been missing, but that may not be the case much longer. Facebook is taking steps to dive into the controversial world of healthcare as reported by multiple anonymous sources from Reuters. As there is a continuous rise in online support groups and websites, Facebook is taking a similar approach as Apple and Google, and they’ll attempt to create online communities for those afflicted with diseases.

Looking at some of the policies that Facebook has changed over the years, specifically the recent decision that users no longer have to use their real name on site, shows the site has taken steps to provide extra anonymity for those afflicted with health problems they may want to share with others without expressly identifying themselvs. Many in the healthcare industry feel this anonymity would be necessary to make many of those looking for their support on the app more comfortable.

Despite these changes, there are still a lot of hurdles facing Facebook. The company as a whole has received continued criticism in recent years for widening its scope on privacy policies. In an effort to gain users’ trust, they hinted that their healthcare app may be launched with different branding, as in the case of Facebook’s purchase of Instagram, to quelch its composition.

When dealing with a company that is generally directed toward its own agenda, it has demonstrated that agenda rarely includes its users or the public at large. One can see where this would make any user uneasy. It causes deep concern that users’ personal health information will be shared with pharmaceutical companies among others for the purposes of direct advertising, as well as on their personal profiles. Neither of these are things that most of those afflicted with health issues would appreciate.

“Any advertising built around the health initiatives would not be as targeted as it could be on television or other media. Pharmaceutical companies, for instance, are prohibited from using Facebook to promote the sale of prescription drugs, in part because of concerns surrounding disclosures,” noted Christina Farr and Alexai Oreskovic in their Reuters article.

The social media giant claims they have wanted to go into healthcare for many years, but the idea has been tabled for other, more pressing or current ideas. It made its first move in that direction when they acquired the the fitness app Moves. Not surprisingly, the app changed its privacy policies in line with those of Facebook shortly thereafter.

Since this is still in the development phase, it remains to be seen if Facebook healthcare is actually launched. One thing users can count on, if you see a new healthcare app surface, make sure you know which company it’s related to. And don’t forget to read every line of its privacy policies.

(Photo courtesy of Poster Boy)