Digital health involves the application of digital technologies to health products and services in the sectors of mobile health (mHealth), health information technology (HIT), wearables, telehealth, genomics, and personalized medicine.

Advocates of digital health argue that it will empower consumers to make better health decisions while enhancing the diagnosis and treatment capabilities of health professionals. The promises of digital health have resulted in a proliferation of innovations in both the consumer and medical sectors, leading two market research firms to recently estimate that the global market will top $400 billion by 2024.

Impressive growth, but we ask at what cost and to whom? As critics have warned, despite the potential of digital health to improve health outcomes, there are ethical concerns in both the consumer and medical sectors that must be addressed before consumers’ rights are infringed. These concerns involve trust, security, privacy, accountability, and informed consent of individuals, as well as broader societal concerns of access and equitability.

Based on previous research in direct-to-consumer genomics (DTCG), this paper argues that the criticisms of digital health are warranted and that increased ethical considerations are needed to ensure that consumers of digital health products are adequately protected. The paper will offer recommendations that entrepreneurs or established organizations should consider when innovating in digital health.