Safety and security on the Internet

Safety and security on the Internet

Challenges and advances in Member States

Based on the findings of the second global survey on eHealth

Global Observatory for eHealth series - Volume 4

WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Safety and security on the Internet: challenges and advances in Member States: based on the findings of the second global survey on eHealth.(Global Observatory for eHealth Series, v. 4)

1.Internet - utilization. puter security. puters. 4.Access to information. 5.Medical informatics. I.WHO Global Observatory for eHealth.

ISBN 978 92 4 156439 7

(NLM classification: W 26.5)

? World Health Organization 2011

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Safety and security on the Internet

Challenges and advances in Member States

Based on the findings of the second global survey on eHealth

Global Observatory for eHealth series - Volume 4

2011

Acknowledgments

This report would not have been possible without the input of the Observatory's extensive network of eHealth experts and the support of numerous colleagues at the World Health Organization headquarters, regional, and country offices. Sincere thanks are due to over 800 eHealth experts in 114 countries worldwide who assisted with the design, implementation, and completion of the second global survey. Special thanks to the authors of this work Kevin Clauson and Karen Vieira, and the international expert reviewers including: Erin Holmes, Lana Ivanitskaya, Pauline Sweetman, and Michael Veronin. The publication was internally reviewed by Najeeb Al Shorbaji and Joan Dzenowagis. We are grateful for the financial support and collaboration of the Rockefeller Foundation. Our appreciation goes to Jillian Reichenbach Ott for the design and layout, and Kai Lashley for editing. The global survey and this report were prepared and managed by the WHO Global Observatory for eHealth: Misha Kay, Jonathan Santos, and Marina Takane. Photo credits: ?Thinkstock, page 55 - ?WHO

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Table of contents

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1. Introduction

9

1.1. Internet pharmacies . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1.2 Internet security . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Spam

12

Viruses and malware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Phishing scams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

1.3 Online safety of children and adolescents . . . . . . 16 Unsupervised access to children and teens . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

1.4 Digital literacy and online health information quality . . . 16 Accuracy and reliability of online health information . . . . . . . . 17 Online Health Information in developing countries . . . . . . . . . 19

2.Review of the literature

21

2.1 Internet pharmacies . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Safety of medications purchased online: is there cause for concern? . . . 22 Availability of prescription-only drugs and lack of clinical oversight . . . 22 Medical questionnaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Internet pharmacy locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Counterfeit and substandard medications . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Packaging and labelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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