Amazon.com Inc. AMZN has postponed the unveiling of its virtual care services across all 50 states, following privacy concerns raised by Senators Peter Welch and Elizabeth Warren, Politico reports.
Privacy Concerns
The Senators expressed concerns about Amazon “harvesting” health data from patients. They pointed out that Amazon Clinic requires patients to sign a release granting the company “complete” access to their health information. This authorization allows Amazon to share their data, which is not protected by HIPAA, the federal health privacy law, Politico noted.
Amazon’s Response
Amazon denies any delay due to an external inquiry and maintains that Amazon Clinic complies with HIPAA and all other applicable laws and regulations. The company explains that the data sharing clause in the form is designed to prevent patients from having to provide duplicate information if the third-party provider Amazon Clinic connects them with no longer works with Amazon.
Senators’ Request
Warren and Welch in a letter asked Amazon CEO Andy Jassy to clarify whether Amazon uses customer data to promote or sell other Amazon products and services. They also want Amazon to be more transparent about its data practices, provide a sample contract with third-party providers, and explain if it shares data with law enforcement.
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