Amazon.com Inc. knows more about consumers’ online-shopping habits than any other retailer. Now it is about to get its hands on the most intimate of personal data: people’s health conditions. Last week’s acquisition of online pharmacy startup PillPack will give Amazon insight into people’s prescriptions, putting the tech company into the highly regulated realm of health information with more restrictions than it is accustomed to on data-mining. ...
Amazon ’s acquisition of online pharmacy start - up PillPack puts it in the highly regulated health care market . With respect to personal medical data , it will come under the purview of the Health Insurance Portability and Reform Act ( HIPAA ) . It places firm restrictions on how companies use medical information , prevents the selling of patient data to third parties and the targeting of products based on a consumer ’s medical condition . Amazon may have to wall off the pharmacy business or risk having to ensure its entire e - marketplace must meet federal privacy standards , from data access to password encryption .