Americans have varying relationships with privacy. Some guard it fiercely, while others consider lack of privacy a reality and an acceptable trade-off, especially when it comes to social media, smart devices, and apps. Unless you completely disconnect (no smartphones, connected devices, online searches, or social media accounts), you probably cannot prevent your data from being collected.

“The less information you give online, the better,” says Neil A. Busis, MD, FAAN, professor of neurology at NYU Langone Health in New York City. “Think about what your risk tolerance is, and try to understand how your data are being used,” adds Benjamin R. Kummer, MD, director of clinical informatics in neurology and assistant professor of neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

To minimize how much of your information gets into the hands of those who might use it in a way you don't want them to, follow this advice.

Read privacy policies. When downloading an app or adding a new smart health device, look for key words like “disagree” and “opt out,” and click on them to keep the app from selling your data to external parties. The Mozilla Foundation has an online buyer's guide that assesses the safety and security of connected products, including health and exercise tools, wearables, and mental health apps. For the apps you use most, do a web search for reports on the companies' trustworthiness and privacy protections. For health apps like seizure and migraine trackers, look for tools from nonprofit organizations such as the Epilepsy Foundation or the National Headache Foundation—but even then, read privacy policies carefully and decide what you're comfortable with.

Keep your location private. When a message pops up asking you to share your location, opt out—or select the “only while using” option if it's an app that you really need (such as one that maps a run or bike ride). You also can turn off location services entirely.

Watch what you share. Provide only information that's necessary for the app to function. And don't lie. “If an app asks for your demographic information and you provide false data in an effort to protect your privacy, that lie will follow you around forever and may come back to bite you,” Dr. Busis says.

Review settings. Periodically, go through the privacy settings on your phone (go to “settings” and select “privacy”) and reevaluate what information really needs to be shared with which apps.

Deactivate apps. If you haven't used an app in a while, especially a health app that includes personal data, consider deleting it. You can't go back and erase the information the company already has, but you don't need to give it any more.

Weigh the risks. Sometimes companies don't abide by their own privacy promises. Think about what sensitive information an app or device might have access to and decide if the benefit of the app or device is worth the risk to you if your data are sold, stolen, or misused.

Guard your DNA. Take particular care with genetic data, such as online DNA tests. “Look at what you're getting from these products and services and assess the risk of sharing your data,” says Katie Hasson, PhD, associate director of the Center for Genetics and Society in Berkeley, CA. “If you're interested in something like medical information, it's much better to go through your doctor rather than a commercial provider like 23andMe. That ensures that you get appropriate tests and counseling from a trained professional, and HIPAA protects genetic data obtained that way.”

Read More

How to Protect Your Genetic and Health Data Privacy Online
Companies routinely sell the health, fitness, and genetic data of their customers to third parties. Find out what happens to that information and how to protect your privacy.