FTC proposes BetterHelp pay $7.8M for sharing health data

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed requiring online counseling service BetterHelp to pay $7.8 million as part of a settlement addressing charges it shared clients’ personal health data with Facebook, Snapchat, and other third parties for advertising purposes.

If the agency’s order against BetterHelp becomes final, it would be the first FTC action that remunerates consumers for violations involving private health data, according to a press release Thursday. The $7.8 million would be used to provide partial refunds to consumers who paid for BetterHelp’s services between August 2017 and December 2020.

The commission voted 4-0 to adopt the proposed order. The FTC will decide whether to make it final after a 30-day public comment period.