Beyond a “Take It” or “Leave It” Approach to eConsent Design on Health Social Networks

Abstract

With the proliferation of eHealth resources promoting health data storage, analysis, and dissemination, it is important for individuals to understand the implications of sharing their highly sensitive personal health information (PHI) online. However, uncertainty remains about the level of individual awareness and understanding when sharing PHI on health social networks (HSN). This article explores individuals' emotion and cognition in the provision of eConsent for PHI on a HSN focusing on individual engagement of emotion pre- and post-registration. Prior to participants reading the HSN's privacy policy (PP) and terms and conditions (T&Cs), a ‘just click' behavior was widely observed. This article shows that educating users about the implications of T&Cs and PPs changes their attitudes toward giving eConsent. By exploring individual emotion and cognition, this study proposes guidelines for software developers designing eConsent for HSNs.