California Fines Datamasters $45,000 for Reselling 2.3 Million Health-Linked Addresses
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 6
California Fines Datamasters $45,000 for Reselling 2.3 Million Health-Linked Addresses
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 6
Summary
$45,000 is the penalty California imposed on Datamasters after regulators said it failed to register as a data broker while buying and reselling health-related contact lists.
2.3 million addresses tied to blindness or visual impairment were among the lists cited, along with 435,245 linked to Alzheimer's disease, 133,142 to addiction and 857,449 to bladder-control issues.
California's enforcement chief warned that marketing lists tied to conditions such as Alzheimer's can enable targeting that goes well beyond ordinary advertising, including scams tailored to medical vulnerabilities.
FTC cases against GoodRx, BetterHelp, Flo Health and Premom show broader concern that mainstream health apps and related firms have shared sensitive data with advertising and analytics partners outside traditional HIPAA protections.