What is it about?
We live in a panopticon, a digital prison of our own making. Those who use mental health websites and apps are tracked by third-party companies that access, package, and resell data. The implication is that we live in a surveillance economy, and when it comes to mental health or prescription drugs, the implications are significant.
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Photo by JJ Ying on Unsplash
Why is it important?
We blindly accept "cookies" when using the Web with little or no knowledge that our data is being tracked for various purposes, including programmatic advertising. This study reveals the underlying ecosystem of trackers that range from Big Tech to smaller parasitic companies.
Perspectives
This is my third study in which I have investigated the use of tracker technologies that make up the techno-ecosystem that is controlled by Big Tech. The data these companies collect extends from serving advertising to more insidious uses. This is a system that operates largely without our knowledge.
Emeritus Professor Neil Alperstein
Loyola University Maryland
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A network approach to third-party tracking devices on mental health websites: data surveillance and privacy in the digital panopticon, Mental Health and Digital Technologies, March 2025, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/mhdt-10-2024-0031.
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