So far, I’ve talked about what mental health apps can provide to users. But the discussion wouldn’t be complete without mentioning what users provide to these apps––specifically, data.

Names, medical status, sex: these are all for grabs to companies when users interact with apps. A 2019 Spectrum article lays out studies which show that many popular health apps, specifically those focused on depression, shared consumer data with a third-party like Facebook.

Moodpath, the most popular app for depression on Apple’s app store, shares user data with Facebook and Google. The app’s developer discloses this fact, but the disclosures are buried in the seventh section of the app’s privacy policy. Facebook also buys and sells user data to better target advertising to specific users, and does so even with users who don’t have a Facebook account.

Even when apps disclose their policies, the risks involved are not always clear to consumers, says John Torous, director of digital psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Massachusetts and co-lead investigator on the April study. “It is clear that most privacy policies are nearly impossible to read and understand,” Torous says.

Privacy concerns about mental health apps highlight need for regulation (Spectrumnews.org, Peter Hess)

Hess talks to Nir Eyal from Rutgers University, who says this data could be used to discriminate against certain populations. For example, third-parties exclude people with autism from benefits like insurance.

The experts Hess cites urge these app developers to be transparent in their privacy policies. Rather than burying it 75 pages deep, the policies should state up front what user data they will collect, and where it will go.

Clearly, there are tradeoffs to using these apps. They’re under-researched, not proven to be effective, and can be mining sensitive user data. But they’re also convenient, more accessible and less costly than therapy, and can be an easy way to check in on your mental health. However consumers decide to utilize these apps, they should be empowered to make informed decisions.