Searching Someone on the Internet
Let’s be honest. How many times have you typed someone’s name into a search engine (we all know the one I’m talking about) to get information about them? I know I have. The world is at our fingertips now more than ever. With a quick swipe of our hands and fingers, we have instant access to information about a person that they may or may not want us to know about.
What about a therapist (or any provider really) searching for information on a prospective, current, or past patient? Does that change how you feel about your information and what’s out there? Does that change how you feel about what your therapist knows about you?
There are a plethora of state and federal guidelines and laws surrounding confidentiality. When a therapist types a patient’s name into a search engine, where is that information going? Who has access to that search history now? Most computers are not HIPAA compliant. Medical software and patient health systems? Yes. Regular computers and cell phones of providers? Probably not.
Getting information about a patient without their knowledge or consent is a slippery slope. Trust and rapport are foundational in therapy (yes, there is plenty of research showing this). What happens to that trust and relationship when the therapist is secretly searching their patient(s) online? Imagine this:
A patient comes to me for financial anxiety and is at a reduced rate. I type their name into the search engine and property records come up (public knowledge). I see that they have multiple properties and that they purchased them for a decent amount of money. What does this information now do for me, the provider who is giving this person services at a reduced rate? Will I now start to question their honesty? Will I now want to charge them my full rate and feel differently towards them?
Therapists are supposed to be unbiased. The above scenario challenges that notion. Various ethical codes governed by the American Psychological Association (APA) could be called upon when discussing this topic. For instance:
4.01 Maintaining Confidentiality
Psychologists have a primary obligation and take reasonable precautions to protect confidential information obtained through or stored in any medium, recognizing that the extent and limits of confidentiality may be regulated by law or established by institutional rules or professional or scientific relationship. (See also Standard 2.05, Delegation of Work to Others.)
4.07 Use of Confidential Information for Didactic or Other Purposes
Psychologists do not disclose in their writings, lectures, or other public media, confidential, personally identifiable information concerning their clients/patients, students, research participants, organizational clients, or other recipients of their services that they obtained during the course of their work, unless (1) they take reasonable steps to disguise the person or organization, (2) the person or organization has consented in writing, or (3) there is legal authorization for doing so.
Although the ethical codes are in place for providers, nothing is stopping the patient from searching their provider. In fact, I encourage it! Patients search their providers all the time on the internet. Any type of service or provider I am using has me instantly searching their name and business and looking them up. This is standard when someone is looking for services. It also calls into question WHAT can be found out about you on the internet. Yes, as a professional and business owner, I want my information out there for prospective patients. However, I don’t want my personal information out there. Is there personal information out there on me? Yes. There is personal information about most people on the internet, which is another reason why we have to be careful what we and other people are putting out there about ourselves and each other.
Just as I want to be able to share the information I WANT with providers, friends, family, patients even! I want my patients to be able to share with me what they want, on their own terms, and in their own time. Before you type in another name into your favorite search engine stop and think if you could just ask the person you are looking for the information directly. You might be pleasantly surprised with what they have to tell you!