By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    An Expert’s Guide To Building and Improving Endurance
    June 30, 2022
    medical assistants
    What Do Medical Assistants Do On a Day to Day Basis?
    April 5, 2022
    superfoods to help with prostate health
    10 Healthy Foods That Can Help Protect Your Prostate
    August 29, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cost crisis
    What If the Health Care Cost Crisis Solves Itself?
    May 11, 2013
    Do You Need Life Insurance? What Does It Cover?
    December 23, 2022
    HIE metal plans
    The Four “Metal Plans” of Health Insurance Exchanges
    May 28, 2013
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Does Your Smartphone Know More About Your Health Than You Do?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Mobile Health > Does Your Smartphone Know More About Your Health Than You Do?
Mobile HealthPublic Health

Does Your Smartphone Know More About Your Health Than You Do?

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

Smartphones and tablets hold great promise as tools for patient engagement, which also means they’re well-stocked hunting grounds for advertisers. A New York Times article (As Smartphones Become Health Aids, Ads May Follow) documents the rapid growth in the use of mobile devices for health searches (up 5x in 2 years) and differences between the behavior of mobile users and those on PCs.

Smartphones and tablets hold great promise as tools for patient engagement, which also means they’re well-stocked hunting grounds for advertisers. A New York Times article (As Smartphones Become Health Aids, Ads May Follow) documents the rapid growth in the use of mobile devices for health searches (up 5x in 2 years) and differences between the behavior of mobile users and those on PCs. Mobile users are much more likely to search for the 20-something age group’s concerns of pregnancy, herpes and HIV than the gastroenteritis, heart attacks, gout and shingles that pique the interest of PC-based users.

The article describes how advertisers are getting on the bandwagon, placing context sensitive searches on health topics. That’s leading to user concerns about privacy. If anything, the typical user is probably insufficiently worried about what they’re sharing. As I’ve pointed out (What if Google finds out you have cancer before you do?), search providers have access to a bevy of information that can provide a highly detailed profile of individual users. Since the time I wrote that post in 2007, social networks have taken that surveillance to the next level, by collecting information about online interactions with others. Mobile takes things even further by combining the same search data with information on a person’s movements and real-time location.

Users expect that a search for pregnancy would turn up an ad for a pregnancy test, but they might be a little more creeped out if their phone tells them that it’s likely they’ve just been exposed to HIV based on their location, who they’re texting and about what, search history etc. I don’t think that scenario is far-fetched. All the pieces are in place to make it happen.

More Read

Creating the Connected Patient
Healthcare Technology and the DocResponse Revolution – Meet Your New Best Friend in Healthcare
The Doctor’s Customer Is the Insurer: Shouldn’t It Be the Patient?
mHealthSummit 2012 – Coming Up Next Week!
A Go Live of EPIC Proportions

 


TAGGED:smartphones
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

technology in medical research
The Tools Helping Medical Researchers See the Full Picture
News Technology
August 3, 2025
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025

You Might also Like

COPD Patients Can Improve Condition with Physical Activity

July 15, 2011

3 Ways to Adopt Health IoT for Better Care

April 1, 2016
Public Health

HPV Tops Talk of Cervical Health Awareness Month

January 4, 2013
eHealthPublic HealthSocial Media

4 Common Myths About Online & Social Media Health Content Debunked

December 11, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?