GoodRX sells health information to advertisers

2026-04-29T15:28:23Z

50.106.80.5: Made the article. It's not great, but I did what I can for now. I left something at the bottom since I don't know how to make meta-conversations about articles.

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=GoodRX
|StartDate=2017
|EndDate=2020
|Status=Resolved
|ArticleType=Service
|Type=HIPAA Privacy, Privacy
|Description=Since 2017, GoodRx shared users' sensitive health data with Facebook, Google, and other advertisers until reveal in 2020.
}}The FTC took enforcement action against '''GoodRx Holdings Inc.''' for sharing consumers' sensitive health information with advertising platforms in violation of its privacy promises and the Health Breach Notification Rule. Since at least 2017, the company shared users' personal health data—including prescription medications and health conditions—with Facebook, Google, Criteo, and other third parties despite repeatedly promising it would never do so. GoodRx agreed to pay a '''$1.5 million civil penalty''' and is prohibited from sharing user health data with applicable third parties for advertising purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FTC Enforcement Action to Bar GoodRx from Sharing Consumers’ Sensitive Health Info for Advertising |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/02/ftc-enforcement-action-bar-goodrx-sharing-consumers-sensitive-health-info-advertising}}</ref>

Note that this is not in violation of HIPAA as the service that GoodRX provides is not technically covered under HIPAA law, due to this type of service not existing at the time of the writing of HIPAA law. <ref>{{Cite web |title=GoodRx, Health Data Brokerage, and the Limits of HIPAA |url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/goodrx-health-data-brokerage-and-limits-hipaa}}</ref> Of which they falsely stated that they are covered under with the intention to mislead customers that they have a standard of privacy. <ref>{{Cite web |title=FTC Enforcement Action Against GoodRx and BetterHelp |url=https://calawyers.org/privacy-law/ftc-enforcement-action-against-goodrx-and-betterhelp/}}</ref>

==Background==
GoodRX is a free prescription drug savings program designed to take advantage of how prescriptions are managed in the U.S. pharmacy system through the use of Pharmacy Benefit Managers. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Explain like I’m 5 - how does goodrx work? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/pharmacy/comments/ws225e/comment/ikvzmzp/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How does GoodRX work? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/vfeel0/comment/icvpmgw/}}</ref>

(I know from personal experience that these citations are true but I really have a hard time finding a more "official" source.)

==[Incident]==
{{Ph-I-I}}From at least '''2017''' through '''February 2020''', GoodRx shared consumers’ sensitive personal health information with third-party advertising platforms, including '''Facebook''', '''Google''', and '''Criteo'''. The shared data included prescription medication names, health conditions, and other intimate details that could reveal medical conditions when combined with browser information. GoodRx embedded tracking technologies—such as a Facebook JavaScript pixel—on its platform to facilitate this sharing for advertising purposes. This occurred despite the company repeatedly promising users in its privacy policy and public statements that it would never share such health data.

Consumer Reports reported the incident in March of 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GoodRx Saves Money on Meds—It Also Shares Data With Google, Facebook, and Others |url=https://www.consumerreports.org/health/health-privacy/goodrx-saves-money-on-medsit-also-shares-data-with-google-facebook-and-others-a6177047589/}}</ref> A few days later, they stopped sending prescription data to Facebook. <ref>{{Cite web |title=GoodRx Stops Sending Prescription Data to Facebook |url=https://www.consumerreports.org/health/health-privacy/goodrx-stops-sending-prescription-data-to-facebook-a6520868989/}}</ref>

===GoodRX's response===

The company agreed to the settlement without admitting wrongdoing. <ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=FTC fines GoodRx $1.5 million for sending consumer health data to Google and Facebook |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/2/23582805/ftc-goodrx-complaint-fine-hipaa-health-data-privacy-google-facebook}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GoodRx Response to FTC Settlement |url=https://www.goodrx.com/corporate/business/goodrx-response-to-ftc}}</ref>

==Lawsuit==

In November 2024, independent pharmacies filed at least three class action lawsuits against GoodRX and major pharmacy benefit managers. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Leeds Brown is soliciting over GoodRx litigation— proceed with caution |url=https://ncpa.org/newsroom/qam/2025/09/22/leeds-brown-soliciting-over-goodrx-litigation-proceed-caution}}</ref> The lawsuits also allege that agreements using GoodRX's software suppressed reimbursements for generic drugs and violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, of which practices amount to price fixing which harms small pharmacies while benefiting pharmacy benefit managers and their affiliates. <ref>{{Cite web |title=GoodRx, PBMs accused of suppressing reimbursements to independent pharmacies |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/goodrx-pbms-accused-suppressing-reimbursements-independent-pharmacies-2024-11-04/}}</ref>GoodRX also settled upon these lawsuits without admitting wrongdoing. <ref name=":0" />
==Consumer response==
{{Ph-I-ConR}}<blockquote>

Look I am exhausted but I wanted to at least make this page. I started copying Wikipedia at the lawsuit part, and once I realized what I was doing I am deciding to stop for my own sanity. If I come back to this page later I'll try to fix it up where I can.</blockquote>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Ph-I-C}}

GoodRX sells health information to advertisers

2026-04-29T14:44:15Z

50.106.80.5: Created page with "{{IncidentCargo |Company=GoodRX |StartDate=2017 |EndDate=2020 |Status=Resolved |ArticleType=Service |Type=HIPAA Privacy, Privacy |Description=Since 2017, GoodRx shared users' sensitive health data with Facebook, Google, and other advertisers until reveal in 2020. }} {{Ph-I-Int}} ==Background== {{Ph-I-B}} ==[Incident]== {{Ph-I-I}} ===[Company]'s response=== {{Ph-I-ComR}} ==Lawsuit== {{Ph-I-L}} ==Consumer response== {{Ph-I-ConR}} ==References==..."

Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

GoodRX sells health information to advertisers

GoodRX sells health information to advertisers