BetterHelp, Inc., $7,800,000
Online counseling platform BetterHelp shared sensitive mental-health information of ~7 million consumers with Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Criteo for targeted advertising, despite promises it would not.
Case identifiers
- Respondent
- BetterHelp, Inc.
- Agency
- Federal Trade Commission
- Announced
- 2023-03-02
- Monetary relief
- $7,800,000
- Case number
- FTC File No. 202-3169
- Statutes cited
- FTC Act § 5
Key facts
- 1
BetterHelp’s intake forms asked whether users had suffered depression or thoughts of self-harm; these responses and email addresses were shared with advertisers.
- 2
Facebook used BetterHelp data to target similar audiences, including a campaign explicitly focused on consumers with depression.
- 3
The FTC alleged BetterHelp violated Section 5 by disclosing health data for advertising despite privacy promises; the complaint did not allege a Health Breach Notification Rule violation.
- 4
The $7.8 million was distributed to affected consumers as partial refunds.
What the order requires
Injunctive terms imposed by the Federal Trade Commission. These bind BetterHelp, Inc.'s data practices going forward.
- Permanent ban on sharing consumer health information with third parties for advertising.
- Required deletion of all consumer data previously shared with advertising platforms.
- Obligation to obtain affirmative express consent before sharing health info.
- Implementation of a comprehensive privacy program with biennial assessments.
Primary sources
Read the original government documents. These are the authoritative records, everything on this page is derived from them.
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FAQ
What did the FTC charge BetterHelp, Inc. with?+
Online counseling platform BetterHelp shared sensitive mental-health information of ~7 million consumers with Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Criteo for targeted advertising, despite promises it would not. The Federal Trade Commission cited FTC Act § 5.
How much did BetterHelp, Inc. pay?+
BetterHelp, Inc. had monetary relief of $7,800,000, announced on 2023-03-02. The settlement also imposed injunctive terms (see below).
Does the BetterHelp, Inc. settlement mean my data has been deleted?+
The order requires BetterHelp, Inc. to delete certain categories of consumer data (see injunctive terms). Individual consumers should still exercise state-law deletion rights (CCPA, CPA, TDPSA) to confirm deletion from any remaining successor databases.
How can I read the original FTC order?+
The Federal Trade Commission press release is available at https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/03/ftc-ban-betterhelp-revealing-consumers-data-including-sensitive-mental-health-information-facebook. The case / matter number is FTC File No. 202-3169.