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

(Image credit: Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

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

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.