Healthcare.gov is sharing user information with third-party firms


The federal government's healthcare website is secretly passing along user information to companies that analyze web data for marketing purposes, according to The Associated Press.
From the AP:
The scope of what is disclosed or how it might be used was not immediately clear, but it can include age, income, ZIP code, whether a person smokes, and if a person is pregnant. It can include a computer's Internet address, which can identify a person's name or address when combined with other information collected by sophisticated online marketing or advertising firms. [Associated Press]
The White House says the data sharing is innocuous and aimed only at improving user experience.
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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
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