Talkspace has amassed “one of the largest mental health data banks in the world,” according to reports to investors, containing 140 million
Jennifer Kamrass confessed her worries to her therapist: her marriage, her finances, and self-esteem. Therapists are legally and ethically bound to confidentiality, but two years later, a transcript of every word Kamrass had typed to her psychologist using the app Talkspace was produced in court by her former employer.
“When I came to understand how much information they had, I was shocked,” Kamrass’ therapist said in an interview. The therapist declined to be named out of concern for her reputation.
An investigation by Proof News found that therapy sessions on the telehealth platform Talkspace are at risk of exposure, according to lawyers and court records showing a person’s intimate conversations being used against them. The company records and stores text, video, and audio messages with clients and, as the company’s CEO recently told investors, has amassed “one of the largest mental health data banks in the world,” containing 140 million message exchanges. The end goal: training a soon-to-be-released AI therapy companion bot, according to reports the company released to investors.
Linda Michaels, a psychologist and co-founder of the nearly 7,000-member-backed advocacy group Psychotherapy Action Network, described the data mining as “awful.” In a traditional therapy session, therapists might scribble only a few sentences recording a patient's progress, she explained. By creating a transcript of the exact back-and-forth of a digital therapy session, Talkspace has created a new window into people’s private lives — that could be used against them.
“Privacy and confidentiality: It's in the code of ethics of every psychotherapist,” Michaels said. “It is really taking advantage of vulnerable people at a vulnerable time of their life.”
Talkspace executives assure investors data is anonymized, but experts say that such anonymity can be broken.