A term which serves as an abbreviation for mobile health and is used for the practice of medicine and other health services that is supported by mobile devices such as, but not limited to, mobile phones, tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), as well as wearable devices such as smart watches.
Published in Chapter:
How Do Mobile Applications for Cancer Communicate About Their Privacy Practices?: An Analysis of Privacy Policies
Zerin Mahzabin Khan (Virginia Tech, USA),
Rukhsana Ahmed (University at Albany, SUNY, USA), and
Devjani Sen (Algonquin College, Canada)
Copyright: © 2021
|Pages: 32
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-3487-8.ch005
Abstract
No previous research on cancer mobile applications (apps) has investigated issues associated with the data privacy of its consumers. The current chapter addressed this gap in the literature by assessing the content of online privacy policies of selected cancer mobile apps through applying a checklist and performing an in-depth critical analysis to determine how the apps communicated their privacy practices to end users. The results revealed that the privacy policies were mostly ambiguous, with content often presented in a complex manner and inadequate information on the ownership, use, disclosure, retention, and collection of end users' personal data. These results highlight the importance of improving the transparency of privacy practices in health and fitness cancer mobile apps to clearly and effectively communicate how end users' personal data are collected, stored, and shared. The chapter concludes with recommendations and discussion on practical implications for stakeholders like cancer app users, developers, policymakers, and clinicians.