NEW YORK (AP) – Many current and former BetterHelp customers are starting to receive refund eligibility notifications over the next period. Last year, a $7.8 million settlement was reached with an online treatment provider. for allegedly sharing sensitive health data with advertisers.
In 2023, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ordered California-based BetterHelp to sell consumer data it had promised to keep confidential for advertising purposes with companies such as Facebook and Snapchat (in response to questions about individuals' mental health). (including the answer to the question). Users' email addresses and IP addresses were also shared in this way, according to the FTC.
BetterHelp has agreed to resolve the FTC complaint in March 2023. Payments are currently expected to be made to affected consumers. The FTC said this week that about 800,000 people began receiving notifications that they were eligible for refunds starting Monday.
The settlement amount will be divided equally and distributed to each recipient at just under $10, an agency spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press.
According to the F.T.C.Payments will be made to anyone who signs up and pays for services on the BetterHelp website (which also covers services on platforms such as MyTherapist, Faithful Counseling, and Price Counseling) between August 2017 and December 2020. I will.
Eligible consumers should receive an email regarding their payment options from An Kura Consulting Group, an independent relief administrator. For those who take no action, the default payment will be delivered to their email address via PayPal, but consumers can choose other methods such as Zelle or paper checks until June 10th. the FTC said.
BetterHelp maintains that the 2023 settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing. In a statement following this week's FTC announcement, the company said it is “deeply committed to the privacy of our members and values ​​the trust people place in us when they use our services.”
BetterHelp added that it “never shares” personal information, such as members' names or clinical therapy session data, with advertisers, nor does it accept payments from third parties for information about its members. Ta.