On December 7, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission released an updated Mobile Health App Interactive Tool to help developers determine what federal laws and regulations apply to apps that collect and process health data. The updated version of the tool, which revises the initial release in 2016, aims to assist developers of mobile apps that will access, collect, share, use or maintain information related to an individual consumer’s health, such as information related to diagnosis, treatment, fitness, wellness or addiction.
Based on the developer’s answers to a number of high-level questions about an app, the FTC’s tool provides guidance on whether the app is covered by federal laws and regulations such as the FTC’s Health Breach Notification Rule, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”). The FTC emphasized that the tool is meant to provide general guidance about potential compliance obligations and cannot substitute for personalized legal advice.
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