“Only patients who think it is OK for their physicians to sell all or parts of their medical records are likely to agree to this practice,” Annas added.
Generally, apps aren’t required to have clear privacy policies and there’s little incentive for them to provide specifics because it increases the odds that they could face liability for disclosing incorrect information, said Scott Kambler of KamblerLaw LLC in New York.
“Plus, we often see companies that just don’t know what’s happening with personal data,” Kambler, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. “They code apps and send data to third party affiliates or partners, but they don’t know what the third parties do with the data. In fact, the company offering the app may have hired a third party to develop the app and may not know what it does behind the scenes.”