Last month, Blue Shield of California began notifying its customers that the health data of approximately 4.7 million patients had been leaked to Google. The healthcare provider issued a notice of data breach.  It explained that health data was unintentionally shared with Alphabet’s Google for years. During COVID-19 crisis, Blue Shield allowed member data to be shared with Google Ads and Google Analytics. As a fact, such data is expected to remain private and is considered a physician-patient privilege.

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With the data accessible, Google may have launched ad campaigns targeting users based on specific personal information. For example, a Blue Shield customer who suffered an injury from a car accident might have been approached by injury attorneys through advertisements. The breach likely also triggered other types of unethical advertising activities. That includes sales of snake oil products to terminally ill patients or to other vulnerable and/or emotionally unstable people. These groups include drug users, cancer patients, expectant mothers and others.

What personal data was leaked and who is affected

Californians wondering if affected should know Google Analytics linked to sensitive Blue Shield health data from April 2021 to January 2024. The leaked data consisted of data points such as name, address, gender, family size, and medical claim information. The exposed data likely allowed unethical ad campaigns, but luckily no banking info, SSNs, or driver’s licenses were included.

Blue Shield of California used Google Analytics to track website usage and activity. They stated that Google’s tools have helped them improve their services and offerings to its members. While improving services, Blue Shield also overshared protected data with one of the world’s largest tech companies. Their actions raise privacy concerns and the company may get hit with a hefty fine as such actions go against HIPAA compliance.

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If people want to limit Google’s tracking, they may consider using top-tier antivirus software solutions to curb Google’s enthusiasm. Such offerings often come with a VPN that helps internet users leave fewer digital prints and maintain better privacy while browsing.

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