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Title: Addressing Online Health Privacy Risks for Older Adults: A Perspective on Ethical Considerations and Recommendations
The rise in online health information seeking among older adults promises significant benefits but also presents potentially serious privacy risks. In light of these risks, we argue that ongoing research and advocacy aimed at promoting online health information seeking among older adults must be coupled with efforts to identify and address threats to their online privacy. We first detail how internet users reveal sensitive health information to third parties through seemingly innocuous web browsing. We then describe ethical concerns raised by the inadvertent disclosure of health information, which include the potential for dignitary harms, subjective injuries, online health scams, and discrimination. After reviewing ways in which existing privacy laws fail to meet the needs of older adults, we provide recommendations for individual and collective action to protect the online privacy of older adults.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2125561
PAR ID:
10331104
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine
Volume:
8
ISSN:
2333-7214
Page Range / eLocation ID:
233372142210957
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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