Measure would strengthen protection of online health data, privacy of minors

Rep. Jerry Nieves Rosario

By THE STAR STAFF

District 13 (Manatí, Florida, Barceloneta and Arecibo) Rep. Jerry Nieves Rosario, who chairs the Northern Region Committee, has introduced Puerto Rico House Bill 1061 to create the “Puerto Rico Health Data Protection and Online Children’s Privacy Act.” “It is time to establish strict prohibitions on the use of geofencing around healthcare facilities for data collection or targeted advertising, mandate high-level default privacy settings for users under 18 years of age, prohibit the collection of precise geolocation data of minors without verifiable parental consent, and impose penalties,” noted the legislator, who co-authored the bill with Rep. Josean Jiménez Torres.

While technology offers undeniable benefits, it has also created unprecedented vulnerabilities regarding the privacy of personal data, Nieves Rosario noted. Beyond the protection of general data, there is a growing global concern about two critical areas: the confidentiality of health information and the safety of minors in the digital environment.

“In Puerto Rico, it is imperative to adopt these best practices to protect our most vulnerable citizens,” the lawmaker insisted.

Currently, it is possible to track a person entering a reproductive health clinic, an addiction treatment center, or an emergency room and use that information to send targeted advertising or sell that data to third parties.

“This practice not only invades the patient’s medical privacy but can also expose them to discrimination or harassment,” Nieves Rosario pointed out.

Digital platforms are often designed to maximize information collection, including precise physical location. Allowing applications to track the movements of a child or adolescent without the explicit knowledge of their parents represents a risk to their physical and psychological safety, the lawmaker said.