WASHINGTON — The government’s health insurance website is quietly sending consumers’ personal data to private companies that specialize in advertising and analyzing Internet data for performance and marketing, The Associated Press has learned.
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.
The Obama administration says ‘s connections to data firms were intended to help improve the consumer experience. Officials said outside firms are barred from using the data to further their own business interests.
There is no evidence that personal information has been misused. But connections to dozens of third-party tech firms were documented by technology experts who analyzed and were confirmed by AP. A handful of the companies were collecting highly specific information.
“This new information is extremely concerning, not only because it violates the privacy of millions of Americans but because it may potentially compromise their security,” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote to the administration.
A former White House chief information officer, Theresa Payton, said third-party vendors are a weak link on any site. She questioned the number of vendors on and the specific details some are collecting.
“You don’t need all of that data to do customer service,” said Payton, who served under President George W. Bush. “We know hackers are just waiting at the door, salivating to get at this data.”
The privacy concerns come against the backdrop of President Barack Obama’s initiative to protect personal data online. Separately, the administration is getting the health care website ready for the final enrollment drive of 2015, aiming to have more than 9 million people signed up by Feb. 15 for subsidized private coverage.
The outside connections surprised a tech expert who evaluated ‘s performance for AP.
“Personally, I look at this … and I don’t know what is going on between the government and Facebook and Google and Twitter,” said Mehdi Daoudi, chief executive of Catchpoint Systems. “Why is that there?”
Tracking consumers’ Internet searches is a lucrative business, helping Google, Facebook and others tailor ads to customers. Because your computer and mobile devices can be assigned an individual signature, profiles of Internet users can be pieced together, generating lists that have commercial value.
