Aspen Policy Academy

A doctor flips through medical records highlighted in red, yellow, and green.

The form asked my permission to share my health data. Then it wouldn’t let me say no.

  • Article Published May 27, 2026

This article was originally published on the CalMatters website on May 27, 2026.

By Alex Rosenblat

To experience what patients have to do to opt-out of having their data shared, I went to doctor’s appointments in seven states. One clinic showed me how easily dark patterns force patients to share their data with big healthcare networks, even when the privacy form they’re signing explicitly says they can opt-out.

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