Privacy International report claims European websites sell mental health information to advertisers and fail to meet GDPR

A study by Privacy International (PI) has found that popular health websites in Europe share users’ mental health information with advertisers, data brokers, and tech companies. The investigation analysed over 136 web pages related to depression in Germany, France, and the UK, revealing that 97.78% of these pages contained third-party elements that collect user data. The report argues that this practice is highly intrusive and risks targeting vulnerable individuals. Additionally, PI criticises the use of cookies on these websites, stating that many fail to meet the requirements of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).