GoodRx Makes Big Changes After Consumer Reports Investigation

Michael Timmermann | March 13th, 2020

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If you use GoodRx to save money on prescription drugs, you should be aware of some changes the company is making after a Consumer Reports investigation into its data sharing practices.

The changes come after revelations that GoodRx shared data with more than 20 third-party companies.

GoodRx Data Privacy Changes: What You Need to Know

The investigation found that Facebook, Google and another third-party company called Braze “received the names of medications users researched, along with unique ID numbers used by advertisers and data companies to track individuals.”

“It’s common practice for companies to share data for advertising and analytics purposes, which is what GoodRx does. And the small amount of data that is shared cannot be linked back to an individual person,” a GoodRx spokesperson said in a statement to Clark.com. “GoodRx has also gone above and beyond in implementing an opt-out and data deletion feature that is available to all users.”

Following the Consumer Reports investigation, GoodRx says personal medical information like a drug name or condition that you enter on GoodRx will never be shared with Facebook — even in encrypted form.

GoodRx says on its website that it has also audited the information it shares with Google and other third parties.

There are also two actions that users can take: opt-out and data deletion. These are protections required by the new California Consumer Privacy Act, but they’ve been expanded to all users:

Opt-out: To opt-out from any cookies and tracking (including from third parties), go to GoodRx.com and click “Cookie Preferences” at the very bottom of the page. Then, turn off tracking for marketing, personalization or analytics purposes. From the GoodRx app, go to Settings and click “Remove All Personal Data.”
Data deletion: Any GoodRx user can request that their data be deleted by submitting this form. Be aware that taking this step requires you to submit information to verify your identity.

Finally, GoodRx announced that it has appointed a new vice president of data privacy.

To be clear, GoodRx says it has never and will never sell users’ personal health information. You can read more about the company’s data sharing practices in the original Consumer Reports investigation and this follow-up piece.