HealthCare.gov, the government’s health insurance website, is sharing users’ data with private companies, according to a recent report from the Associated Press.
Specifically what type of information is shared or how it is used is not clear, but may include income, age, zip code, whether or not someone is pregnant and if a person smokes. Furthermore, a user’s IP address can be revealed, which, combined with data tracked by other companies, can identify an individual’s name and address.
The Obama administration says its relationship with these companies, which analyze Internet data and specialize in advertising, are meant to enhance the consumer experience.
Theresa Payton, a former White House chief information officer, said third-party vendors can compromise security and are a weak link on any website. She also questioned how many vendors are on HealthCare.gov and what kinds of data they are gathering.
“You don’t need all of that data to do customer service,” said Payton, according to the news agency. “We know hackers are just waiting at the door, salivating to get at this data.”
So far there is no evidence that any of this data has been misused.
Still, the revelation of data sharing from HealthCare.gov has alarmed some people.
“This new information is extremely concerning, not only because it violates the privacy of millions of Americans, but because it may potentially compromise their security,” Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote to the Obama administration.
The reports from the Associated Press come at a time when cybersecurity is among Obama’s agenda items and an issue he spoke about during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
The Associated Press reported that from a visit to the website, it found that personal information, such as age and smoking habits, were relayed to advertising and analytics websites, probably without consumers’ knowledge. These companies, however, cannot view birth dates or Social Security numbers, according to the news agency.
CNN reported that among third parties receiving these details include Double Click (a subsidiary of Google), Twitter, Yahoo and Google.
The Internet giant, however, said it does not let its systems tailor ads for consumers based on health and medical data.
“We don’t want and don’t use that kind of data,” Google said in a statement. “When we learn of possible violations of this policy, we investigate and take swift action.”
Connections between the government website and third-party sites were surprising to Mehdi Daoudi, CEO of Catchpoint Systems, who analyzed the data for the Associated Press.
“Personally, I look at this … and I don’t know what is going on between the government and Facebook, and Google, and Twitter,” Daoudi said. “Why is that there?”
Obtaining such information has shown to be valuable, as companies can use this data toward more targeted advertising.
HealthCare.Gov serves people in 37 states; the remaining states have their own insurance markets. The website is also undergoing preparation for the final enrollment drive of 2015, with a goal of getting more than 9 million people to sign up for health insurance.
(With reports from Associated Press and CNN)