Drkoop.com to Sell Assets, Including Patient Information
The health information Web site Drkoop.com, which last December filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, yesterday announced plans to sell its assets, including its former members' e-mail addresses, to the online vitamin discount store Vitacost.com. In an apparent reversal on privacy, officials told Drkoop members that they must opt out of the agreement by Sunday to prevent the company from transferring their e-mail addresses to Vitacost. The opt-out provision appears to contradict an agreement Drkoop reached this spring with the Texas attorney general, as well as the company's published privacy policy. In an e-mail sent to Drkoop members yesterday, the company said that, if members did not explicitly decline, it would transfer their e-mail addresses to Vitacost and its affiliate, HeartCenterOnline.com, a site for cardiovascular patients. The e-mail was signed by Drkoop Vice President Chris Petrovic. The terms of the sale also appear to violate the privacy policy posted on Drkoop's Web site, which states that members' information "will not be disclosed to anyone unless the visitors indicate that Drkoop may do so" (Gilbert, ZDNet News, 7/1). For more iHealth & Technology stories, visit iHealthBeat.org, a new Web publication sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation.
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