Hospital Websites Leak Patient Data to Third Parties, Study Shows.

A new study found that 99% of US hospitals employed online data trackers in 2021 that transmitted visitors’ information to a broad network of outside parties, including major technology companies, data brokers, and private equity firms. The data captured included visits to pages on specific conditions such as depression, breast cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. The ubiquitous use of the tracking tools may clash with the privacy expectations — if not the legal protections — that consumers take for granted as they browse online in search of medical care and information.