Privacy versus Convenience: A Historical Perspective, Analysis of Risks, and an Informatics Call to Action

BACKGROUND: The pace of technological change dwarfs the pace of social and policy change. This mismatch allows for individual harm from lack of recognition of changes in societal context. The value of privacy has not kept pace with changes in technology over time; individuals seem to discount how loss of privacy can lead to directed personal harm. OBJECTIVE: The authors examined individuals sharing personal data with mobile health applications (mHealth apps) and compared the current digital context to the historical context of harm. The authors make recommendations to informatics professionals to support consumers who wish to use mHealth apps in a manner that balances convenience with personal privacy to reduce the risk of harm. METHODS: A literature search focused by a historical perspective of risk of harm was performed throughout the development of this paper. Two case studies highlight questions a consumer might ask to assess the risk of harm posed by mobile health applications. RESULTS: A historical review provides the context for the collective human experience of harm. We then encapsulate current perceptions and views of privacy and list potential risks created by insufficient attention to privacy management. DISCUSSION: The results provide a historical context for individuals to view the risk of harm and shed light on potential emotional, reputational, economic, and physical harms that can result from naïve use of mHealth apps. We formulate implications for clinical informaticists. CONCLUSION: Concepts of both harm and privacy have changed substantially over the past 20 years. Technology provides methods to invade privacy and cause harm unimaginable a few decades ago. Only recently have the consequences become clearer. The current regulatory framework is extremely limited. Given the risks of harm and limited awareness, we call upon informatics professionals to support more privacy education and protections and increase mHealth transparency about data usage.