Health-related apps have become one of the largest markets for Android and IOS users. Such apps are often essential in preventing illness and maintaining one’s health. However, protecting one’s data privacy is also essential to people’s rights to make independent choices and enjoy personal autonomy. Government or company invasions of one’s privacy, especially of people’s sensitive and personal health information, have the potential to prevent or discontinue the use of apps that may be important to people’s health. Recently, data from health apps have been purchased, sold, or subpoenaed by law enforcement, non-governmental organizations, or governments. Consumers' concerns of this as an over-reach of data privacy have been expressed in online social media and product reviews. In this project, we aim to shed light on the economic harm to companies, innovation, and consumer trust when governments use their powers to solicit private data that may be beyond the comfort of consumers. Using social media analytics and experimental methods, we will explore how such government actions affect the use and trust in these apps, and whether these privacy infringements erode the public trust in the government, the company, or both.
