What happens to your data when you search for health information online? (Data Privacy Explained)

Have you ever used an online health website (like WebMD, for example) to learn about an illness, a cure, or a way to stay healthy? We all do, right? But when you search for such information, have you ever thought about what actually happens to the information you give to those websites? While this may seem like a complicated topic, it is important to be aware of this for your safety.

What is 'personal information'?

Simply put, 'Personal Information' is anything that can directly identify you. This can include many things.

• Your name, home address, email address, phone number.
• The `IP ADDress` that you use to identify where you connect to the Internet (this is like your computer's Internet address).
• What you searched for on that website (e.g., searching for 'good foods for diabetes').
• Things like the articles you've read and the ads you've clicked on.

In addition, some information is classified as ``Sensitive Personal Information.'' Examples of these are:

• Your national identity card number, driver's license number.
• Bank account details, credit card numbers.
• `GPS` data that shows exactly where you are (`Precise Geolocation`).
• Details like your race and religion.
• Information you entered yourself about your health conditions.

How do these websites collect your information?

There are several main methods for this.

1. Directly from you: When you create an account on a website, you give them things like your name and email, right? That's how they collect the information you give them.

2. Indirectly from your activities: This is where it gets a little more complicated. Imagine you read an article about diabetes . Then you start seeing ads for diabetes-related medications and devices on Facebook and other websites. This happens because of cookies and other tracking technologies.

• What are cookies? These are small data files that are stored in your browser when you visit a website. They can recognize your browser and remember what you do on that site. They are used to show you relevant ads.

3. From other parties: Sometimes these websites buy information about users from other companies to better manage their services and understand user preferences.

What do they do with this information they collect?

They use this collected information for various business purposes. Let's see what the main purposes are.

What rights do you have?

Countries like the United States have strict data privacy laws. These laws give users certain rights. It is very important to be aware of these.

• Right to Know: You have the right to ask what information a website has collected about you, how it was collected, and with whom it was shared.
• Right to Delete: You can ask for the personal information we have collected about you to be deleted. However, sometimes they may not be able to fully comply with that request, for reasons such as legal reasons.
• Right to Correction: If any information about you is incorrect, you have the right to request that it be corrected.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: This is a very important right. You can ask us to stop “selling” or “sharing” your information with other parties for purposes such as showing you advertisements.

How to exercise these rights?

Typically, websites like this clearly state how to exercise these rights on their “Privacy Policy” page. They may provide a dedicated phone number or online form for this.

When you make such a request, they may ask you for certain information (e.g., email address, name) to verify that it is you . This is done to protect your information.