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Tag: Users

  • FTC Alleges a Telehealth Company Sent Users’ Health Conditions to Ad Platforms After Promising Discretion

    FTC Alleges a Telehealth Company Sent Users’ Health Conditions to Ad Platforms After Promising Discretion

    Federal regulators have accused one of the largest direct-to-consumer telehealth companies of routing customers’ health conditions to advertising platforms while marketing itself on privacy.

    The Federal Trade Commission, joined by Utah and by California through Los Angeles County Counsel, sued Hims and Hers Health on July 29 in federal court in San Francisco. The complaint alleges the company shared sensitive health information about medical conditions with third-party advertising platforms despite promising privacy, and separately alleges deceptive billing and cancellation practices.

    None of this has been proven. The company disputes the allegations and says it will defend itself. A complaint is an accusation, and the court has made no findings.

    The reason it matters to readers who have never used the platform is the category. The conditions named are the ones people specifically seek online care for because they do not want to discuss them in person.

    What the Complaint Says Moved, and Where

    The alleged mechanism is a tracking pixel, a small piece of code embedded in a web page that reports visitor activity back to a third party. Pixels are ordinary infrastructure across commercial websites. They become a health privacy question when the page being tracked reveals a medical condition.

    According to the complaint as reported by TechCrunch, the company placed trackers supplied by Meta and Snap as well as Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, and X. The FTC also alleges the company uploaded lists of certain customers to advertising platforms, a separate practice from pixel tracking that matches known customer identities against platform user accounts.

    The service lines named in reporting on the complaint include erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, hair loss, weight management, and mental health. The FTC’s contention is that the company advertised privacy and discretion for exactly these categories while the data pipeline ran the other direction.

    Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in the agency’s announcement that the complaint describes “consumers unknowingly locked into recurring subscriptions” alongside disclosure of private health information without consent.

    The Billing Allegations Sit Alongside the Privacy Ones

    The complaint pairs the data claims with allegations about money, which is unusual and is part of why the case is being watched.

    Regulators allege the company advertised free consultations and displayed language indicating no payment was due at intake, then charged consumers and enrolled them in recurring subscriptions once a provider wrote a prescription, in some cases before any consultation had occurred. The complaint further alleges that cancellation was made difficult, leaving some customers paying for refills they did not want.

    The cited legal authorities are the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, a 2010 statute governing online negative-option billing, which requires clear disclosure of terms, informed consent before charging, and a simple cancellation mechanism.

    The company has responded firmly. In statements reported by BioPharma Dive and others, Hims and Hers called the claims baseless, said its privacy policy makes clear that users may choose how their data is used, and said it is confident in its position. It did not explicitly deny the specific factual allegations in the statements reported.

    A Pattern the Agency Has Pursued Before

    This is not a novel theory of enforcement. The FTC brought similar actions against GoodRx and BetterHelp in 2023, and against the telehealth startup Cerebral and the alcohol recovery provider Monument, in each case alleging that consumer health data reached advertising platforms through website technology.

    The industry has responded to that pressure. Pixel deployment on hospital websites fell from about 98 percent in 2021 to roughly 30 percent in 2025, according to tracking data compiled by health marketing analytics firm Hedy and Hopp and reported by Bloomberg Law. That figure describes hospitals rather than direct-to-consumer telehealth, and should not be read as a measure of the latter.

    One legal point is worth understanding because it surprises people. Most direct-to-consumer telehealth platforms operate in a space where HIPAA’s application is contested or limited, which is part of why the FTC rather than the HHS Office for Civil Rights is the agency bringing this case. Consumers frequently assume that anything involving a prescription is covered by federal medical privacy law. That assumption does not reliably hold for app-based commercial health services.

    Steps for Anyone Who Has Used a Telehealth Platform

    Nobody should stop needed treatment over a privacy dispute, and nothing here suggests any medication is unsafe. The relevant actions are about accounts and settings.

    Check advertising controls on the platforms named. Meta, Google, and other services allow users to review and delete off-site activity that businesses have shared, and to limit how that data informs ad targeting. Those controls are typically found under account settings labeled activity, ad preferences, or data sharing.

    Review recurring charges. Anyone enrolled in a telehealth subscription can check the current billing terms, the renewal date, and the cancellation process, and should document the date and method of any cancellation request. Consumers who believe they were charged without consent can dispute the charge with their card issuer and file a complaint with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

    For future care, consider that browsing a condition-specific page on a commercial health site is not equivalent to a conversation in an exam room. Care delivered through a health system patient portal generally does sit under HIPAA. That is a meaningful difference for anyone who considers the condition itself sensitive.

    Several things remain unresolved. The company has not filed its formal response. No court has ruled on any allegation. How many consumers were affected, what specific data elements moved, and what remedy regulators will seek are all matters for the litigation. MedicalDaily will report the company’s answer and any rulings.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What did the FTC allege? That Hims and Hers shared consumers’ sensitive health information with third-party advertising platforms despite promising privacy, and separately deceived users about billing and cancellation.

    Have the allegations been proven? No. The complaint was filed July 29, 2026, and no court has made findings. The company calls the claims baseless and says it will defend itself.

    What is a tracking pixel? A small piece of code embedded in a web page that reports visitor activity to a third party. It becomes a health privacy issue when the page reveals a medical condition.

    Which platforms are named? Reporting on the complaint identifies Meta and Snap along with Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, and X.

    Does HIPAA cover telehealth apps? Not always. Many direct-to-consumer platforms operate outside or at the edges of HIPAA, which is why the FTC rather than HHS is bringing this action.

    What can users do now? Review ad and data-sharing settings on the named platforms, check subscription billing terms and cancellation processes, and document any cancellation request.

    Has the FTC done this before? Yes. It brought similar cases against GoodRx and BetterHelp in 2023, and against Cerebral and Monument.

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  • New Research Finds Semaglutide Users Held Lower Calorie Intake For More Than A Year

    New Research Finds Semaglutide Users Held Lower Calorie Intake For More Than A Year

    What the Study Measured

    A question that comes up constantly in weight management clinics now has a direct measurement behind it: if the hunger comes back, has the drug stopped working?

    Penn Medicine researchers ran a 60-week trial in 120 adults who were overweight or had obesity, assigning them to once-weekly semaglutide at 2.4 mg or placebo, with regular lifestyle counseling in both groups. The design’s strength is that it did not rely on what people said about their appetite. It measured what they ate.

    At baseline and again at weeks 20, 40, and 60, participants completed a five-hour laboratory assessment. After a standardized breakfast, they were offered lunch and told to eat until they felt comfortably full. Researchers weighed and counted the calories consumed.

    Across those follow-up assessments through week 60, participants taking semaglutide ate about 24 to 30 percent fewer calories than those on placebo, according to Penn Medicine. Weight followed. The semaglutide group lost an average of 15.1 percent of initial body weight at week 60, against 3.4 percent for placebo.

    The Gap Between Feeling Hungry and Eating More

    The finding that makes this study useful is the mismatch between what people reported and what they did.

    During the first 20 weeks, participants on semaglutide reported less hunger, greater appetite control and fewer thoughts about food, the sensation many patients call food noise. By weeks 40 and 60, the differences between the semaglutide and placebo groups on many of those subjective measures were no longer statistically significant.

    The calorie difference persisted anyway.

    “This study highlights an important distinction between people’s perceptions of their appetite and how they actually eat,” said Thomas A. Wadden, PhD, a professor of psychology in psychiatry and former director of Penn’s Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. “People taking semaglutide for weight loss often notice dramatic reductions in hunger and food noise when they begin this treatment. If those sensations gradually become less noticeable, some may incorrectly assume the medication is no longer effective.“

    Lead author Jena S. Tronieri, PhD, a senior research investigator at the center, framed the practical consequence directly. “Many patients worry that their medication has stopped working if they notice some return of hunger after the first several months,” she said. “Our findings show that even when people feel some of those sensations returning, semaglutide continues to help them eat less. That sustained reduction in calorie intake appears to be a key reason why weight loss is maintained over time.“

    There is a plausible explanation for the divergence that the study does not settle. Subjective hunger ratings are relative to a person’s own recent experience, and a body 15 percent lighter has different baseline sensations than it did a year earlier. Feeling hungrier than you did at week four is not the same as eating as you did before treatment.

    What This Does Not Tell You

    Several limits deserve to sit here rather than at the end, because they bound what the result can be used for.

    The single largest one is that this study says nothing about stopping. Every participant analyzed was on treatment. It does not measure what happens to calorie intake after discontinuation, which is the question behind most of the current anxiety about these drugs. Separate research has consistently found weight regain after stopping.

    The sample was 120 people. That is adequate for a controlled laboratory feeding study and small for drawing conclusions about population-level behavior. The trial also ran 60 weeks, so it does not describe year three or year five.

    The laboratory meal is a proxy, not real life. Participants ate a standardized breakfast in a research setting and then a single test lunch under observation. That design controls variables well and does not capture evening eating, weekend eating, restaurant portions, stress eating or the social context in which most calories are actually consumed.

    Both groups received lifestyle counseling throughout, so the comparison is semaglutide plus counseling against placebo plus counseling, not against no intervention.

    The study was supported in part by a Novo Nordisk research grant through the company’s Investigator Sponsored Studies Program. Penn states that Novo Nordisk played no part in the conception, conduct, analysis, or reporting of the study.

    Why It Matters for People Considering Stopping

    The clinical relevance here is a decision, not a data point.

    Patients who conclude their medication has quit working sometimes stop taking it, sometimes stop refilling because they no longer see the point of the cost, and sometimes ask for a dose increase they may not need. This study suggests at least one of those inferences may rest on a misreading of the evidence available to the patient, which is their own sense of hunger.

    “Our results suggest that patients may experience a partial return of appetite sensations over time, without losing the medication’s benefit of continuing to reduce calorie intake, which is needed to maintain their new, lower body weight,” Tronieri said. “Understanding that can help set realistic expectations and may encourage people to stay on treatment long term, as approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the treatment guidelines of numerous professional societies.”

    That framing comes from researchers whose work is partly industry-funded, and readers should weigh it accordingly. It is also consistent with how obesity is defined in current clinical guidance, as a chronic condition managed rather than cured.

    What Patients Should Take From It

    Nobody should start, stop or change a dose based on this study, and the most useful action it supports is a conversation rather than a decision.

    If your hunger has returned somewhat after several months on semaglutide, that is a documented pattern and not automatically a sign of treatment failure. Weight trajectory, waist measurement, blood pressure, lipids and glucose are more reliable indicators of whether the medication is doing its job than the subjective sense of appetite.

    If weight has plateaued or is climbing, that is worth raising with a prescriber, who can look at dose, adherence, other medications, sleep, alcohol and activity before concluding anything about the drug.

    Anyone considering stopping because of cost, side effects, or coverage changes should have that conversation before stopping rather than after, since abrupt discontinuation carries a well-documented pattern of regain.

    The next questions researchers will need to answer are what calorie intake looks like beyond 60 weeks, what it looks like after discontinuation, and whether the same pattern holds for tirzepatide and the newer oral agents. MedicalDaily will report follow-up analyses as they publish.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What did the study find? Adults taking semaglutide ate 24 to 30 percent fewer calories than those on placebo at laboratory assessments through week 60, and lost 15.1 percent of body weight versus 3.4 percent.

    Does hunger really come back? Reported hunger, appetite control and food noise differed clearly from placebo at 20 weeks, but many of those differences were no longer statistically significant by weeks 40 and 60.

    So has the drug stopped working if I feel hungrier? Not necessarily. In this trial, calorie intake stayed lower even as subjective appetite differences faded. Weight trend is a better indicator than hunger.

    How big was the study? 120 adults with overweight or obesity, over 60 weeks.

    Does this tell me what happens if I stop? No. Everyone analyzed was on treatment. The study does not address discontinuation.

    Who funded it? It was supported in part by a Novo Nordisk research grant. Penn states the company had no role in the study’s conception, conduct, analysis or reporting.

    Should I change my dose? Not on your own. Discuss weight trajectory and any concerns with your prescriber.

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  • Capitol Police Zip-Tied Elderly Wheelchair Users During Protest Over Medicaid Cuts

    Capitol Police Zip-Tied Elderly Wheelchair Users During Protest Over Medicaid Cuts

    U.S. Capitol Police zip-tied older people in their wheelchairs during a “die-in” demonstration protesting President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which is estimated to cut Medicaid by $793 billion over the next 10 years.

    More than 30 protesters were arrested Wednesday for “illegally demonstrating inside the Russell Senate Office Building,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Capitol Police told CNBC. “It is against the law to protest inside the Congressional buildings,” the spokesperson said, adding that “there are other places on Capitol grounds where people can lawfully demonstrate without issue.”

    Videos circulating on social media showed a line of protesters in wheelchairs, their wrists zip-tied in a way that allowed them to maneuver their devices. Many were accompanied by officers. In total, 34 demonstrators were arrested, CNBC reported.


    “Here are people in wheelchairs at Capitol on Wednesday arrested for their ‘die-in’ protest to oppose GOP’s plan to cut Medicaid which will literally kill them,” Dean Obeidallah, host of “The Dean Obeidallah Show,” wrote in a post on X. “The GOP is making these cuts to give their wealthy donors a tax cut. The anger towards GOP and oligarchs is why a Dem socialist won.”

    More than 70 million low-income and disabled Americans rely on Medicaid for health insurance. If Trump’s proposed legislation passes in the Senate, around 16 million people could lose coverage by 2034.



    A number of GOP senators have spoken out against the bill, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who told CBS News last week that she has “been pretty clear that when it comes to Medicaid, those cuts that would harm Alaskan beneficiaries, that’s not something that I can take home, right?”

    “We have some of the highest health care costs in the country. We have 40% of Alaska’s kids that are on Medicaid. I want to try to do what we can to address certain aspects of our entitlement spending,” Murkowski stated. “We’ve got to do that. But doing it with the most vulnerable bearing the brunt of that is not the answer,” she added.

    Originally published on Latin Times



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  • RFK Jr Fails to Convince Users That a Database of People With Autism Would Be 'Protected': 'How Can He Be Trusted?'

    RFK Jr Fails to Convince Users That a Database of People With Autism Would Be 'Protected': 'How Can He Be Trusted?'

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plan to create a national autism database was met with doubt online as users questioned if those added would have their privacy protected.

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