Health privacy bill seeks protections for data collected by apps, smartwatches

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would add new privacy protections to health data gathered by smartwatches, health apps and other new technologies.

While individuals' interactions with health care providers are typically covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), no such privacy shield applies to health data collected by apps and smartwatches.

That gap has been in the spotlight recently following news that a popular period-tracking app, Flo, was selling users’ health data to Meta, which used it to target advertising.

The bill, known as the Health Information Privacy Reform Act, would mandate that health technology companies not governed by HIPAA tell consumers how their data is gathered and shared. 

“Smartwatches and health apps change the way people manage their health,” Cassidy said in a prepared statement. “They’re helpful tools, but present new privacy concerns that didn’t exist when it was just a patient and a doctor in an exam room.” 

Cassidy, a physician, chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.