# Telehealth companies leak medical data without permission

> Telehealth firms share health data with advertisers and search engines after promising privacy
- Title: Telehealth companies leak medical data without permission
- Summary: Telehealth firms share health data with advertisers and search engines after promising privacy Patients get prescriptions without real-time doctor…
- Keywords: telehealth, hims, ftc, glp-1, hipaa, data leak, prescription, online health, medical data, advertisers, privacy policy, news
- Source: ABC7 New York — https://abc7ny.com/story/telehealth-companies-keep-exposing-customers-medical-data-what-should-do/19849774
- Published: 2026-09-19T15:51:39+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: telehealth, hims, ftc, glp-1, hipaa, data leak, prescription, online health, medical data, advertisers, privacy policy, news
## Telehealth data leaks
Telehealth companies share health data with Meta and Google without user permission.

> an effort to generate headlines at our expense
## FTC lawsuit targets Hims
The FTC alleges Hims & Hers bypassed real-time doctor consultations for prescriptions.
## GLP-1 prescriptions without checks
Less than a third of telehealth sites require real-time doctor consultations for weight-loss drugs.
## HIPAA doesn't cover telehealth
Federal health privacy law HIPAA excludes telehealth companies from protection.
## Data shared with advertisers
Telehealth firms disclose health data to advertisers and social media platforms.
## Prescriptions approved quickly
Hims customers get prescriptions approved within minutes without doctor review.
## Privacy policy risks
Some telehealth sites sell users' sex lives in their privacy policies.
## No real-time doctor checks
Most GLP-1 users skip doctor consultations before starting weight-loss treatment.
## State privacy laws
California and other states have health data privacy laws but lack enforcement.
## Key takeaway

Patients get prescriptions without real-time doctor consultations, risking health data leaks