Critical Essay 2

Ethical Issues in Digital Psychology

Alakija Adeoluwa Adaeze

R2204D14360178

Current Perspectives in Psychology

7500 PSYSCI

9th December, 2022

Digital psychology falls under the ever-expanding umbrella of telehealth. Telehealth can be

explained as “the use of communication devices and other assistive technology to deliver

professional health services to clients in remote locations” (Evan et al., 2016). The field of

psychology has marked a noticeable increase in the use of these technologies, enabling

professionals to communicate with clients via features such as emails, text, telepsychology and

applications. Cloud-based storage, electronic medical records and assessments are also within

these range of digital services, creating an avenue for effective and efficient delivery of

psychological services (Lustgarten et al., 2020). However, there have been several concerns

relating to the vulnerability of some of these digital features; ethical issues involving

confidentiality breaches and informed consent (Evan et al., 2016). This essay will explore some

of those ethical issues, and suggest possible management techniques or solutions.

The field of mental health and psychology is based on privacy and client confidentiality

(Lustgarten et al., 2020). Digital services such as email and text messages are often utilized to

schedule appointments, deliver treatment and for easy communication between the client and the

psychologist. These third-party services however are prone to hacking, leading to exposure of

client data and affecting confidentiality. Email in particular is often the major access point for

spyware and malware. External corporations and government agencies may also have access to

information contained within text messages for advertisement or surveillance purposes, without

proper informed consent (Lustgarten et al., 2020).

Several solutions have been proposed to this issue, including the use of in-transit encryption

services by psychologists when communicating via email with their clients. Clients should also

be well-informed about the potential benefits and risks involved in email communication for

confidentiality of sensitive data, and external parties that may also have access to it via breaches
(Lustgarten et al., 2020). This provides clients with a clearer picture of their options for digital

psychology. For text messages, psychologists may prefer the option of phones that provide end-

to-end encryption of text messages as a default feature for communicating with clients

(Lustgarten et al., 2020).

Another ethical issue is the concern involved in mobile applications or apps. There is an

estimated 165,000–325,000 health and wellness apps available, with over 10,000 designed for

mental health alone (Carlo et al., 2019). These apps serve a range of functions, from reminding

clients about appointments or activities they need to complete, to helping clients prepare for

future sessions by recording symptoms (Lustgarten et al., 2020). Breaches of data privacy via

apps have been reported severally. Information such as username and password, contact

information, age, gender, location, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), and phone

number are shared with developers, and some of this data is sold to third parties without

customer consent (Lustgarten et al., 2020). Encouraging individuals to read privacy and

confidentiality policies of applications thoroughly before giving consent might provide a better

form of security.

In conclusion, the field of psychology is constantly evolving to adapt to technological

advancements. Keeping well-informed on the effects of different technologies on client

confidentiality, as well as soliciting feedback from relevant sources, will help minimize ethical

dilemmas that may arise in digital psychology.

 REFERENCES

Carlo, A. D., Hosseini Ghomi, R., Renn, B. N., & Areán, P. A. (2019). By the numbers: ratings

and utilization of behavioral health mobile applications. NPJ digital medicine, 2(1), 1-8.

10.1038/s41746-019-0129-6

Evan, H. D., Heather, M. W., Jamie, L. P., & Christopher, M. F. (2016). Chapter 13-Legal,

Regulatory, and Ethical Issues in Telehealth Technology, Editor (s): James K. Luiselli,

Aaron J. Fischer. Computer-Assisted and Web-Based Innovations in Psychology, Special

Education, and Health, Academic Press, 339-363. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-

802075-3.00013-9

Lustgarten, S. D., Garrison, Y. L., Sinnard, M. T., & Flynn, A. W. (2020). Digital privacy in

mental healthcare: current issues and recommendations for technology use. Current

opinion in psychology, 36, 25-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.03.012