The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights and Federal Trade Commission yesterday sent a letter to about 130 hospital systems and telehealth providers reminding them to comply with HIPAA Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules, the FTC Act and FTC Health Breach Notification Rule when using technologies that can track a user’s online activities, such as Meta/Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics.  
 
“Both agencies are closely watching developments in this area,” the letter states. “To the extent you are using the tracking technologies described in this letter on your website or app, we strongly encourage you to review the laws cited in this letter and take actions to protect the privacy and security of individuals’ health information.”
 
For more information, see the HHS press release.

Related News Articles

Headline
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Oct. 15 released an emergency directive advising federal agencies to take stock of their F5 BIG-IP…
Headline
In part one of a new blog, John Riggi, AHA national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, and Scott Gee, AHA deputy national advisor for cybersecurity and risk,…
Perspective
Public
This week, the FBI issued an urgent warning to all users — including hospitals — of a critical security soft spot within Oracle’s E-Business Suite, stating “…
Headline
The Health Sector Coordinating Council Oct. 7 released its Sector Mapping and Risk Toolkit, created to help health care providers and other organizations…
AHA Cyber Intel
As of Oct. 3, 2025, 364 hacking incidents had been reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, affecting over 33…
Headline
The AHA Oct. 6 released a Cybersecurity Advisory urging immediate action against a critical Oracle E-Business Suite vulnerability that is remotely exploitable…