Riaan Ngisho noma ungazi noma ubani osebenzise izinsizakalo ze-BetterHelp, abalandeli be-podcast bazoyibona ezikhangisweni zayo ezicasulayo zabelaphi bayo abaku-inthanethi. Abalawuli baseMelika, nokho, bathi ubudlelwano benkampani nemboni yezokukhangisa bubi kakhulu kunenkulumo nje ecasulayo, bethi iveza ukwethembeka okufanele kube kumakhasimende ngokudlulisela imininingwane yabo yezempilo yengqondo ku-Facebook, Snapchat nabanye.
I-Federal Trade Commission icele inkampani ukuthi ikhokhe amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-7.8 futhi yashaya umthetho wokuba ihlanganyele idatha yezempilo yabathengi nabakhangisi, esivumelwaneni esihlongozwayo esenziwe esidlangalaleni namuhla. Isixazululo sizoxazulula isikhalazo sango-2022 esathi i-BetterHelp iphushe abasebenzisi ukuthi bagcwalise uhlu lwemibuzo olungeqeki ukuze bathole amasevisi bese bedlulisela lolo lwazi ku-Meta nokunye ukuze baphromothe amasevisi ayo.
I-BetterHelp – ibhizinisi layo elakhula ngesikhathi kuvalwa i-COVID – ikuphikile ukwenza okubi, futhi esitatimendeni yathi imane isebenzisa “umkhuba ojwayelekile wezimboni… osetshenziswa njalo ngabahlinzeki bezempilo abakhulu, izinhlelo zezempilo, nemikhiqizo yezokunakekelwa kwempilo.”
Ngokusho kwe isikhalazo [PDF]abasebenzisi batshelwe i-BetterHelp: “Qiniseka ukuthi – noma yiluphi ulwazi olunikezwe kulolu hlu lwemibuzo luzohlala luyimfihlo phakathi kwakho nomeluleki wakho.”
Ikhomishini isola ukuthi inkampani yabe isiqhubeka nokulungisa leso sitatimende ngokuhamba kwesikhathi. Isikhalazo sathi ngoDisemba 2020, inkampani yashintsha isitatimende ukuthi sifundeke kanje: “Qiniseka – lolu lwazi izohlala iyimfihlo phakathi kwakho nomeluleki wakho” (kugcizelela ukuguqulwa). Futhi ngoJanuwari 2021, isikhalazo sathi, saphinde sasishintsha ukuze sithi: “Qiniseka ukuthi – ulwazi lwakho lwezempilo izohlala iyimfihlo phakathi kwakho nomeluleki wakho” (kugcizelela ukuguqulwa). I-FTC yengeze ngokuthi ngo-Okthoba 2021, “isuse lokhu kumelwa.”
Inkampani kuthiwa ibe isihlanganisa uhlu lwamakheli e-imeyili ezivakashi nabasebenzisi, eyawalayisha ku-Facebook ukuze ifanise abantu nama-akhawunti abo omsebenzisi we-Facebook ukuze iqondise bona kanye nabanye abafana nabo ngezikhangiso, futhi kusolakala ukuthi yaba nayo kamuva. “waphinde wabaqondisa” ngezikhangiso ukuze badlulisele abangani babo be-Facebook enkonzweni.
Ukugcwaliswa kusolakala ukuthi: “Phakathi kuka-2017 no-2018, Ummangalelwa ulayishe uhlu lwamakheli e-imeyili ezivakashi nabasebenzisi angaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-7 ku-Facebook. I-Facebook ifanise ngaphezu kwezigidi ezi-4 zalezi Zivakashi kanye Nabasebenzisi nomazisi abasebenzisi be-Facebook, okuhlanganisa ukusebenzisa kwabo Isevisi ukwelashwa kwezempilo yengqondo ngama-akhawunti abo e-Facebook.”
Isikhalazo sanezela:
I-FTC iphinde yaphawula ukuthi i-BetterHelp “ngokugqamile” ibonise isigxivizo esifakazela ukuthobela umthetho we-America’s Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), umthetho ochaza ubumfihlo nolwazi lokuvikela ukuvikela izakhamuzi ezingalulindela ngolwazi lwazo lwezempilo.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, isikhalazo sathi, i-BetterHelp itshele abathengi ukuthi “iqinisekisiwe i-HIPAA,” nabameleli bayo benkonzo yamakhasimende abazisa abathengi ngalokhu. Kodwa-ke, “ayikho i-ejensi kahulumeni noma enye inkampani yangaphandle” ebuyekeze izinqubo zolwazi ze-BetterHelp zokuthobela i-HIPAA, ingasaphathwa eyokunquma ukuthi izinqubo zayo zihlangabezana nezimfuneko ze-HIPAA.
Inkokhelo engu-$7.8 million evela ku-BetterHelp izosetshenziselwa ukubuyisela ingxenye ethile yabantu ababhalisele futhi bakhokhele izinsizakalo ze-BetterHelp phakathi kuka-Agasti 1, 2017, noDisemba 31, 2020, kusho i-FTC.
“Lapho umuntu onenkinga yezempilo yengqondo efuna usizo, lokho bakwenza ngesikhathi sokuba sengozini futhi belindele ukuthi izinsizakalo zokwelulekwa zochwepheshe zizovikela ubumfihlo bakhe,” kuphawula uSamuel Levine, umqondisi we-Bureau of Consumer Protection ye-FTC. “Esikhundleni salokho, i-BetterHelp ithengise ulwazi lwezempilo lomuntu siqu oluningi lwabathengi ukuze bathole inzuzo. Lo myalelo ohlongozwayo mawube isikhumbuzo esiqinile sokuthi i-FTC izobeka phambili ukuvikela idatha ebucayi yabantu baseMelika ekuxhashazweni okungekho emthethweni.”
Inkampani elulekayo itshele Irejista esitatimendeni: “I-BetterHelp kanye ne-FTC sebefinyelele esivumelwaneni mayelana nezinqubo zokukhangisa ze-BetterHelp ebezisebenza phakathi kuka-2017 no-2020 … Siyasiqonda isifiso se-FTC sokubeka izethulo ezintsha mayelana nokumaketha kwabathengi, futhi siyajabula ukukulungisa lokhu. udaba ne-ejensi. Lesi sivumelwano, esingekona ukuvuma ububi, kusivumela ukuthi siqhubeke sigxile emsebenzini wethu wokusiza izigidi zabantu emhlabeni wonke ukuthi zithole ukufinyelela ekwelashweni kwekhwalithi.”
Inkundla yezempilo yengqondo eqonde kumthengi, okungukuthi Inkampani engu-Teladoc Health Inc, eyaduma ngesikhathi se-COVID njengoba abantu bezabalaza ukuthola isikhathi sokubonana mathupha, i-Teladoc ibika ukuthi i-BetterHelp yayinesibopho semali eyizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-$1 yemali engenayo ngo-FY2022. Abahlaziyi bezezimali ku UkufunaAlpha kuphawulwe ngaleso sikhathi lokhu kumelele ukukhula okumangalisayo konyaka nonyaka ngamaphesenti angama-42.8 ukusuka kumazinga we-FY2021 angaphezu kwezigidi ezingama-$700. ®
