AAPi Director Carly Dober is quoted in an article in The Guardian about calls by consumer advocates for the privacy regulator to investigate the 'Uber of therapy' platform BetterHelp as it expands in Australia, after a US ruling that the company shared customers’ sensitive data to third parties.
"In a report published on Tuesday, the consumer advocacy group Choice said Australia lacked the regulations needed to cover online mental health platforms such as BetterHelp," the article said.
"Choice’s consumer data advocate Kate Bower and the former privacy commissioner Malcolm Crompton said overseas wrongdoing by BetterHelp meant the Australian information commissioner should investigate whether the company had breached local privacy laws.
“Australian consumers deserve to know what BetterHelp has been doing with their data here and we’re urging the privacy commissioner to investigate any potential misuses,” Bower said.
The article also examined payments by BetterHelp and said that for therapists who work five hours or more in one week, it pays US$35 an hour.
Carly Dober said the AAPi recommended fee ($315 for a standard 45-60 minute consultation) reflected the true cost of the psychologist providing the service, while BetterHelp’s fees “puts tremendous pressure on the person to put in long hours to earn a reasonable living”.
“This is what the gig economy looks like,” Dober said.
Read the full article here.