Privacy and health related web sites

Abstract

This thesis is about privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) and how they can improve privacy on health related web sites. The PETs, in cooperation with privacy laws and practical and organizational steps are presented in details. Threats against privacy on the Internet and especially on health related web sites are also presented.

Health related web sites contain pure information sites or they are interactive. The interactive sites might consult patients online. But more or less all of them contain personal, sensitive information, because of privacy threats like cookies and web-bugs.

Because health related web sites contain sensitive information, privacy is critical. PETs and practical and organizational steps therefore have to be combined. Both users and organizations need to do these things. This thesis recommend such combinations, and who should be responsible for the different learnings and implementations.