Jun 10, 2024 21:00:00

It has been revealed that conversation records on the suicide prevention lifeline are at risk of being shared with companies without consent, resulting in the leakage of personal information

Journalist Rob Whipond has pointed out that the contents of conversations on the

988 suicide and crisis lifeline, which began being used across the United States in 2022, may have been leaked to the public. Whipond explains the issues, saying that there are potential misunderstandings and inconsistencies in the terms of use of 988 and the terms of use of the private companies involved in 988.

“Confidential” 988 Conversation Records Shared with Corporations - Mad In America
https://www.madinamerica.com/2024/06/988-records-shared/

'988' is an emergency hotline that began on July 16, 2022. The previous 'National Suicide Prevention Lifeline' had a 10-digit phone number, but by making it an easy-to-remember three-digit number, people can call more easily and receive support from counselors. It is operated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and a private company called Vibrant Emotional Health (Vibrant) in a public-private partnership, and calls are transferred to a call center managed by a medical institution.

However, according to Whipond, the contents of conversations on 988 are recorded and the possibility of sharing them with research institutions, AI development companies, etc. without the caller's consent cannot be ruled out. In examining the terms of use of the companies operating 988, he said he found out.

SAMHSA's FAQs state that calls may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance purposes. SAMHSA also states that 'some call centers may use recordings for their own training purposes,' making it clear that personal information may be used for any reason.

Vibrant's terms of use state that 'any information provided by or collected about you will not be shared or disclosed to third parties,' but on the page detailing research and evaluation, it states that 'information may be provided to third parties for research purposes.' Whipond points out this contradiction.

There are approximately

200 call centers that receive 988 calls, and when people call 988, they are transferred to a different call center depending on the state they are in. For example, in Alaska, they are transferred to a call center managed by a medical institution called Careline Alaska, and in Arkansas, they are transferred to an institution called the Arkansas Crisis Center, and a counselor dedicated to the medical institution will respond to the call.

Whippond said many call centers don't have visible privacy policies, and some don't even have policies in place. Some refer to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a comprehensive federal privacy law for organizations that handle electronic health records, but some don't mention 988 data.

In response to Whipond's question, SAMHSA and Vibrant said they 'carefully limit access to personally identifiable information, such as full names and device numbers.' They declined to answer questions about whether Vibrant or other call centers share or sell audio or text conversations.

Regarding Whippon's point, Jason Kelly of the Electronic Frontier Foundation commented, 'If I were a hotline user, I would not expect my call data to be used to develop AI products. Such use is completely outside the bounds of common sense and should be made clear in any policies an organization may have. ' Kelly also questioned the dangers of people seeking abortions or supporting children's gender reassignment calling 988, especially if the calls are forwarded to states where such activities are illegal.