Privacy, Safety, and Trust in Mobile Health Apps

Mobile health (mHealth) apps provide a wide range of benefits. However, they collect a significant amount of sensitive user medical data, posing privacy and safety risks to users. Whilst legislation exists to protect users’ medical and health data, users may overestimate these legal protections and, as a result, trust mHealth apps unduly with their health data, or may lose trust due to lack of transparency, and avoid mHealth despite its benefits. 

There has been a growing body of work investigating the needs and concerns of mHealth app users. Yet, holistic research methods and approaches are needed to develop an understanding of the entire mHealth app ecosystem. This workshop aims to bring together researchers, mHealth app designers and developers, legal specialists, and policymakers to share expertise about risks to users’ privacy, safety, and trust in mHealth apps, drawing on research on; for example, mental health, women’s health, and fitness apps. 

During the workshop, participants will: 

• Discuss the mHealth threat landscape and limitations of current protections; 

• Identify the most urgent mHealth design challenges with regard to privacy, safety, and trust; 

• Collaboratively explore potential research directions and approaches to meet those challenges and address user concerns, including data use controls/governance, usable privacy and safety mechanisms, and accessible and inclusive mHealth app design. 

The workshop will be a hybrid event 

Key Dates:

• Submission Deadline: May 27, 2024 (AoE) June 7, 2024 (AoE)

• Notification: May 31, 2024  June 14, 2024 (AoE)

• Camera-ready Draft Deadline: June 11, 2024 June 25, 2024 (AoE)

• Workshop: July 15, 2024 (hybrid)