The Consumer Technology Association has upgraded its voluntary privacy guidelines for handling the health information of individuals, with data collected by apps and websites now covered by the principles outlined.

CTA members first released the guidelines in 2015 to cover health data collected by wearable technology such as smartwatches. The updated guidelines announced Thursday have been expanded to cover the use and sharing of data generated from personal health and wellness devices, apps, websites and other digital tools.

"Technology is revolutionizing health care—providing personalized and improved care, while lowering costs," CTA CEO Gary Shapiro said in a statement. "These privacy guidelines, developed with consensus among industry stakeholders, will help give both individuals and companies the confidence to invest in innovative technologies which will improve health."

According to the principles spelled out in the document, companies must:

• Be open and transparent about the personal health information they collect and why.
• Be careful about how they use personal health information.
• Make it easy for consumers to access and control the sharing of their personal health information and empower them to do so.
• Build strong security into their technology.
• Be accountable for their practices and promises.

CTA noted the guidelines are meant "to complement, not supplant, the applicable legal requirements and regimes with which companies need to comply."

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