<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Google announced the details of a sweeping&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/12/19/google-will-pay-700-million-and-make-play-store-billing-changes-to-settle-antitrust-suit/?sh=37cdb6cd99e0">settlement</a>&nbsp;with all 50 states on Monday, which include expanded options for developers to use their own billing systems—leaving app makers with options that could lead to savings for consumers on in-app subscriptions and services.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



Google announced they would allow an alternative&nbsp;<a href="https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2022/11/continuing-our-commitment-to-user-choice-billing.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“user choice billing”</a>&nbsp;option for all U.S. developers—meaning app developers can now pay fees between 11% and 26% to Google on all purchases from the Play Store, in-app purchases, and subscriptions.



Google previously forced all developers to use its in-house billing system, which took a 15% cut—increased to 30% after the first $1 million earned through purchases.



Google began piloting the “user choice billing” program in 2022 with Spotify and Bumble—it is unclear if any other developers were given the reduced rates before the settlement,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/9/23954376/google-spotify-user-choice-billing-deal-bumble-epic" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Verge</a>&nbsp;reported one year later.



Developers could slash prices and move savings to consumers—but they could also decide to simply keep the extra profits.



Google also said it would “streamline” users’ ability to sideload apps—or download apps directly from a developer’s website—which would mean some developers could cut the costs of quality control or verification required for apps to be sold on the Play Store.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Google struck a settlement deal in a massive lawsuit filed by all 50 state attorneys general in September, but the details of the agreement were not made public until Monday. As part of the deal, Google will pay $630 million into a settlement fund, which will then be distributed to consumers. Another $70 million will be paid directly to the states. Eligible consumers who used the Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023 will receive a minimum payment of $2, with the possibility of additional cash based on their spending on the app store in that timeframe.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



Epic Games, the massive gaming developer also involved in legal disputes with Google, criticized the settlement, with CEO Tim Sweeney calling it an “injustice to all Android users and developers.” Corie Wright, the VP of Public Policy at Epic Games, said it “does not address the core of Google’s unlawful and anticompetitive behavior.” Wright called the user choice billing system “deceptively labeled,” criticizing it for still taking an 11% to 26% cut “on top of payments Google isn&#8217;t involved in processing.” The popular video game publisher won an antitrust lawsuit against Google just one week before the details of the settlement were announced, and said they planned to “seek meaningful remedies to truly open up the Android ecosystem.”

In this photo illustration a Google Play Store logo is seen

Here’s How App Purchases Might Get Cheaper On Google Play Now—After Firm Settles Antitrust Lawsuit For $700 Million

If governments don’t focus on strong privacy protections in their COVID-19 contact tracking tools, it could exacerbate domestic abuse and endanger survivors, according to a warning from women’s support charities.



They’ve urged the U.K. government to include domestic abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) experts in the development of such initiatives.



Though the U.K. doesn’t yet have a widely available track and trace app, the charities &#8211; including Women’s Aid and Refuge &#8211; are already anxious enough about the current tracing program, where infected people are called up and asked to register themselves online as someone who has contracted COVID-19. They’re then asked to share details on people with whom they’ve been in contact so they too can be informed.



In a joint whitepaper, the nonprofits said they were anxious about contact tracing staff inadvertently leaking contact details of survivors to perpetrators. They also raised fears the program could be turned into a “tool for abuse.” 



“For example, perpetrators may make fraudulent claims that they have been in contact with survivors in order for them to be asked to self-isolate unnecessarily, and in these circumstances survivors will have no means to identify the perpetrator as the original source,” they warned. “Perpetrators or associates may also pose as contact tracing staff and make contact with victims [or] survivors requesting they self-isolate or requesting personal information.”



The paper also claims abusers are already using the coronavirus pandemic for “coercive control,” in some cases deliberately breathing, spitting and coughing in survivors’ faces. As <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/05/09/online-child-abuse-complaints-surpass-4-million-in-april-this-is-how-cops-are-coping-despite-covid-19/">Forbes previously reported</a>, the sharing of child abuse material has also spiked during global COVID-19 lockdowns.



As for apps, the report warned they required location services to be switched on. “While the NHS app itself doesn’t collect location data, if a perpetrator has installed spyware onto a survivor’s phone or is able to hack into it, then turning on location services will expose their location.”



Problems with Palantir?



The charities also raised concerns about a number of companies who’d partnered with the U.K. on the contact tracing initiatives. They said Serco, which is handling recruiting for contact tracing staff, “has a significant track record of failings and human rights violations, including running a controversial women’s immigration detention centre where&nbsp;<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/serco-given-yarl-s-wood-immigration-contract-despite-vast-failings-9880772.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">staff have been accused of sexual misconduct</a>&nbsp;and involvement in unlawful evictions of asylum seekers.” Serco also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/may/20/serco-accidentally-shares-contact-tracers-email-addresses-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recently had to apologize for leaking email addresses</a>&nbsp;of contact tracer staff.



Serco denies that it has any kind of significant track record of failing and human rights violations and that the evictions to which the charities are referring were in Scotland and were ruled legal. It also said that in seven years there had been no substantiated complaints about any sexual wrongdoing at the Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre, where reports had revealed allegations.



“We are proud to be supporting the government’s test and trace programme with our Tier 3 contact centre team working from pre-approved Public Health England scripts. This is important work and we would like to thank all our teams who have stepped forward. In just four week we mobilised many thousands of people, which is a huge achievement, and we are focussed on ensuring that all our people are able to support the government’s programme going forwards,” a Serco spokesperson said.



Palantir, the $20 billion big data crunching business, also raised an eyebrow. The company, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/03/31/palantir-the-20-billion-peter-thiel-backed-big-data-giant-is-providing-a-coronavirus-monitoring-tool-to-the-cdc/">secured millions of dollars in contracts to help health agencies manage the outbreak</a>, has come in for criticism for assisting U.S. immigration authorities on finding and ejecting illegal aliens.



Palantir hadn’t responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">UK’s delayed COVID-19 app</h2>



The charities’ warning comes as the U.K. announced its contact tracing app would be shifting to the Apple and Google models, which promise stronger privacy protections than the app being tested by the government. The main difference is in where user information goes. In the government’s app, anonymized phone IDs of both the infected person and the people they’ve been near are sent to a centralized server, which determines who to warn about possible COVID-19 infection. In the Apple and Google model, only the phone ID of the infected person is sent to a centralized database. The phone then downloads the database and decides where to send alerts. The latter means the government has access to far less data on people’s phones, pleasing some critics but aggravating the government.



Health secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday that Apple&#8217;s restrictions on third-party apps&#8217; use of Bluetooth may’ve been one reason the government’s own app wasn’t as successful as hoped. Bluetooth is being used to determine whether an infected person has been in close proximity with another person’s phone.



Earlier this week, Amnesty International cybersecurity researcher Claudio Guarnieri&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/06/16/covid-19-tracking-apps-a-privacy-trash-fire-as-norway-nixes-its-own/">warned</a>&nbsp;that global rollouts of contact tracing apps were a privacy “trash fire.” After analyzing 11 apps, he found many contained privacy shortcomings. So concerned was Norway that it suspended its tool.



Even with lockdowns easing, those who’re infected are still being advised to isolate. However,  the NHS guidance <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/information-and-resources/coronavirus/domestic-violenceabuse-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/" target="_blank">says</a> that “the household isolation instruction as a result of Coronavirus (COVID-19) does not apply if you need to leave your home to escape domestic abuse.” That message may not have been amplified as much as it should’ve been.



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/">Thomas Brewster</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/cybersecurity">Cybersecurity</a>

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Warning: COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps Could Be Turned Into Tools For Domestic Abuse

Topline:&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pepp-pt.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pan-European team</a>&nbsp;of researchers announced Wednesday their plan to release a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-europe-tech/europe-to-launch-coronavirus-contact-tracing-app-initiative-idUSKBN21J4HI" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">smartphone app</a>&nbsp;that would notify users if they’ve been exposed to someone infected with coronavirus, the latest example of tech-driven coronavirus solutions that have also raised concerns about user privacy.



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>A European project called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pepp-pt.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pan-European Privacy Preserving Proximity Tracing</a>&nbsp;is working toward releasing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-europe-tech/europe-to-launch-coronavirus-contact-tracing-app-initiative-idUSKBN21J4HI" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a coronavirus tracing app</a>&nbsp;in the next week that would use anonymous Bluetooth technology to track when a smartphone comes in close range with another, so if a user were to test positive for coronavirus those at risk of infection could&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-europe-tech/europe-to-launch-coronavirus-contact-tracing-app-initiative-idUSKBN21J4HI" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">be notified</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.who.int/features/qa/contact-tracing/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Contact tracing</a>, or determining people who may have been exposed to someone with a virus, is an established aspect of pandemic control and was used effectively to tackle coronavirus in countries like China,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-europe-tech/europe-to-launch-coronavirus-contact-tracing-app-initiative-idUSKBN21J4HI" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Singapore</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/03/13/south-korea-sees-coronavirus-slowdown-without-a-lockdown-but-with-nearly-250000-tests/">South Korea</a>&nbsp;in the form of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00740-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">smartphone tracking</a>.</li><li>University of Oxford researchers and the U.K. government are working on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/coronavirus-location-tracking.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">similar project</a>— but unlike other smartphone tracking systems, the British version in development would be based on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/coronavirus-location-tracking.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">voluntary participation</a>&nbsp;and bet on citizens inputting their information out of a sense of civic duty.</li><li>The U.S. government is in talks with companies like Facebook&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/facebook">FB</a>&nbsp;and Google&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/google">GOOGL</a>&nbsp;and other tech companies about tracking if users are social distancing using large amounts of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/17/white-house-location-data-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">anonymous, aggregated location data</a>— this information is less precise, and more likely to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/coronavirus-location-tracking.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">anticipate outbreaks</a>&nbsp;rather than pinpoint individuals who have been exposed to the virus.</li><li>1.5 million Israelis have voluntarily downloaded&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-israel-apps/1-5-million-israelis-using-voluntary-coronavirus-monitoring-app-idUSKBN21J5L5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a mobile app</a>&nbsp;that alerts users if they’ve come into contact with someone with coronavirus— but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has still ordered that potential coronavirus carriers have their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-israel-apps/1-5-million-israelis-using-voluntary-coronavirus-monitoring-app-idUSKBN21J5L5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">phones monitored</a>, a controversial move the government says is necessary, as the 17% of the population using the app is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-israel-apps/1-5-million-israelis-using-voluntary-coronavirus-monitoring-app-idUSKBN21J5L5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">not enough</a>&nbsp;to fight off the pandemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Moscow&nbsp;﻿﻿, on a city-wide lockdown since Monday, announced Wednesday that a new phone app that will officials to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52121264" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">track the movements</a>&nbsp;of people diagnosed with coronavirus in the capital city would be launched on Thursday, saying the government will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-russia/putin-takes-coronavirus-precautions-as-moscow-unveils-tracking-app-idUSKBN21J4W8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lend a smartphone</a>&nbsp;to anyone unable to download the app.</li></ul>



Crucial quote:&nbsp;“We’re exploring ways that aggregated anonymized location information could help in the fight against [coronavirus]. One example could be helping health authorities determine the impact of social distancing, similar to the way we show popular restaurant times and traffic patterns in Google Maps&nbsp;﻿,” Google spokesman Johnny Luu told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/17/white-house-location-data-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Washington Post</a>. He made sure to note it “would not involve sharing data about any individual’s location, movement, or contacts.”



Key background:&nbsp;Private and public entities alike are looking for ways to fight off coronavirus as the pandemic continues. On Wednesday, there were more than&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">900,000 confirmed cases</a>&nbsp;worldwide and nearly 50,000 deaths.Officials told&nbsp;The New York Times&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/new-york-times">NYT</a>&nbsp;that The National Health Service, Britain’s centralized national health system, is trusted by citizens— and paired with the strong data privacy laws in place, said they think people would&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/coronavirus-location-tracking.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">agree to join</a>&nbsp;the effort to share their private information to help trace infections. However, American tech firms are reported to still be skeptical about sharing substantial data with the U.S. government ever since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/06/10/why-nsa-it-guy-edward-snowden-leaked-top-secret-documents/#2b8d9fa56737">Edward Snowden</a>&nbsp;revealed the NSA was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/coronavirus-location-tracking.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">collecting information</a>&nbsp;from the firms clandestinely.&nbsp;



Surprising fact: The information tech companies have access to data that sheds light on Americans’ behavior in light of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/us/coronavirus-location-tracking.html" target="_blank">Facebook analysis</a>, restaurant visits fell about 80% in Italy and 70% in Spain— while Americans only stopped eating out at a rate of 31%.



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/">Carlie Porterfield</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/business">Business</a>

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Surge Of Smartphone Apps Promise Coronavirus Tracking, But Raise Privacy Concerns

<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/viviennedecker/2016/12/13/move-over-snapchat-meet-houseparty-the-app-winning-over-generation-z-with-spontaneous-togetherness/">Houseparty</a>, with 10 million downloads on Android and millions more on iPhones (Apple won’t confirm exact numbers), has become one of, if not the hit app of the coronavirus shutdown. <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/houseparty-app" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vogue</a> even called it “the quarantine app you need to download immediately.”



It lets users start and join a handful of games &#8211; Heads Up!, Quick Draw! and Trivia &#8211; all with live video and chat. And, thanks to COVID-19 restrictions on people leaving the house, the Epic Games-owned property is scoring many more fans.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">But Is Houseparty Safe To Use?</h2>



There is some good news on the safety front: there are no obvious flaws or dangers with the app. Forbes had cybersecurity and privacy researcher Lukas Stefanko take a look at the Android version of the app to see if there were any other potential issues. He said there was nothing of concern.



“I analyzed the app&#8217;s permissions usage and since the app provides video chats with your friends it is logical that requested permissions are necessary. I haven’t found any shady misusing of them by the app,” said Stefanko, a researcher with cybersecurity firm ESET. “The app doesn’t provide a lot of in-app options and settings, which creates less scenarios for exploiting security issues.”



From a privacy perspective, there’s one obvious issue that some might want to note before diving in: games are open to any of your friends and any of your friends’ friends, unless you lock the “room” where you’re playing. That’s easily fixable, however, with a simple hit of the padlock button at the bottom of the screen. If you don’t lock rooms down, there’s a chance people you don’t know will invade your fun.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Does The Privacy Policy Say?</h2>



There’s also nothing obviously outrageous in the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://houseparty.com/privacy/" target="_blank">Houseparty privacy policy</a>. Perhaps the most concerning, though, is that it can collect “anonymized and aggregated information, such as de-identified demographic information” and “de-identified location information.” As seen in recent news about antivirus company Avast, even when location data is “de-identified,” it’s still possible to find out who the person is by linking it with other information. (That kind of aggregated location tracking is something global governments have considered using to follow the spread of coronavirus. Perhaps they could ask Houseparty to help out as they’ve reportedly done with Facebook and Google.)



Whilst the app collects contacts so you can find friends to play with, the company promises it “will never share your phone number or the phone numbers of third parties in your contacts with anyone else.”



There is the standard warning that user data can be used for more targeted advertising. If you’re concerned enough about that, there are further steps you can take to protect your private information and still use Houseparty.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How To Use Houseparty Privately</h2>



There are a few things you can do to boost the privacy of your Houseparty games. First, head to settings, which can be found by first clicking the smiley face at the top left of the screen, then hitting the cogwheel button when the menu appears.



Then you can turn on private mode, which locks every room you’re in. You can also go to the permissions section and turn location on or off. It’s turned off by default, so leave it that way if you want to ensure your whereabouts are private. And if you want to go even further protecting your identity, use a fake name and birthday in the profile section.



It’s also possible to opt-out of receiving any emails, texts or notifications about Houseparty offers. Go to section 5 of the Houseparty privacy policy (it’s brief, don’t worry) to find out the best way to opt-out of each. To withdraw consent for Houseparty to use any of your personal data, users can also email hello@houseparty.com.



One other neat trick learned whilst using the iPhone version of the app: hold down on the Houseparty icon and click on ‘Sneak into the House.’ That means that when you go in, none of your contacts will be notified.



&#8211; <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/">Thomas Brewster, </a>Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/cybersecurity">Cybersecurity</a>

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Houseparty: Is The Hit Coronavirus Lockdown App Safe?

Millions of Americans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deal with mental illness</a>&nbsp;each year, and&nbsp;<a href="https://mhanational.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/2019%20MH%20in%20America%20Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">more than half of them</a>&nbsp;go untreated. As the mental health industry has grown in recent years, so has the number of tech startups offering virtual therapy, which range from online and app-based chatbots to video therapy sessions and messaging.&nbsp;



Still a nascent industry, with most startups in the early&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/reports/CB-Insights_Mental-Health-Briefing.pdf?utm_campaign=Webinars&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9vLgEn6AfsUf_nXfn8UtBBrkhgfEFm7LsQrRFoI68CJsrXrU-zXKTi8M0sgpMW0unONnbLsAVUe6BO0cr2Vj1A0ZPhQiu4178Y2bOAidtpFApBFyw&amp;_hsmi=55818280&amp;utm_content=55818280&amp;utm_source=hs_automation&amp;hsCtaTracking=8133605e-ef8d-41b5-add2-a79fc7aa7322%7Cf61454a1-0ed7-46eb-87c7-40f56ce494c0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">seed-stage funding round</a>, these companies say they aim to increase access to qualified mental health care providers and reduce the social stigma that comes with seeking help.&nbsp;



While the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5897664/#__sec1title" target="_blank">efficacy of virtual therapy,</a> compared with traditional in-person therapy, is still being <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.thecut.com/2016/12/the-potential-danger-in-therapy-apps-like-talkspace.html" target="_blank">hotly debated</a>, its popularity is undeniable. Its most recognizable pioneers, BetterHelp and TalkSpace, have enrolled nearly 700,000 and more than 1 million users respectively. And investors are taking notice.



Funding for mental health tech startups has boomed in the past few years, jumping from roughly $100 million in 2014 to more than $500 million in 2018, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/a-look-at-the-boom-in-vc-funding-for-mental-health-startups" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pitchbook</a>. In May of this year, the subscription-based online therapy platform Talkspace raised an additional $50 million, bringing its total funding to just under $110 million since its 2012 inception.



The ubiquity of smartphones, coupled with the lessening of the stigma associated with mental health treatment have played a large role in the growing demand for virtual therapy. Of the various services offered on the Talkspace platform, “clients by far want asynchronous text messaging,” says Neil Leibowitz, the company’s chief medical officer.



Users seem to prefer back-and-forth messaging that isn’t restricted to a narrow window of time over face-to-face interactions. At BetterHelp, founder Alon Matas notes that older users are more likely to go for phone and video therapy sessions, whereas younger users favor text messaging.



“Each generation is getting progressively more mobile-native,” says John Prendergass, an associate director at Ben Franklin Technology Partners’ healthcare investment group, “so I think we’re going to see people become increasingly more accustomed, or predisposed, to a higher level of comfort in seeking care online.”



The ease and convenience of virtual therapy is another draw, particularly for busy people or those who live in rural areas with limited access to therapy and a range of care options.



Alison Darcy, founder and CEO of Woebot, a free automated chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to provide therapeutic services without the direct involvement of humans, says that with Woebot and other similar services, there is no need to schedule appointments weeks in advance and users can receive real-time coaching at the moment they need it, unlike traditional therapy. The sense of anonymity online can also lead to more openness and transparency and attracts people who normally wouldn’t seek therapy.



Along with stigma, the cost of therapy has historically acted as a barrier to accessing quality mental-health care. Health insurance is often unlikely to cover therapy sessions. In most cities, sessions run about $75 to $150 each, and can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.northwesternmutual.com/life-and-money/how-much-does-therapy-cost-and-how-do-you-pay-for-it/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">go as high as $200</a>&nbsp;or more in places like New York City. Web therapists don’t have to bear the expense of brick-and-mortar offices, filing paperwork or marketing their services, and these savings can be passed on to clients.&nbsp;



BetterHelp offers a $200-a-month membership that includes weekly live sessions with a therapist and unlimited messaging in between, while Talkspace’s cheapest monthly subscription at $260-a-month, offers unlimited text, video and audio messaging.



But virtual therapy, particularly text-based therapy, is not suitable for everyone. Nor is it likely to make traditional therapy obsolete.&nbsp;“Online therapy isn’t good for people who have severe mental and relational health issues, or any kind of psychosis, deep depression or violence,” says Christiana Awosan, a licensed marriage and family therapist.&nbsp;



At her New York and New Jersey offices, she works predominantly with black clients, a population that she says prefers face-to-face meetings. “This community is wary of mental health in general because of structural discrimination,” Awosan says. “They pay attention to nonverbal cues and so they need to first build trust in-person.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



Virtual therapy apps can still be beneficial for people with low-level anxiety, stress or insomnia, and they can also help users become aware of harmful behaviors and obtain a higher sense of well-being.&nbsp;



Sean Luo, a psychiatrist whose consultancy work focuses on machine learning techniques in mental health technology, says: “This why some of these companies are getting very high valuations. There are a lot of commercialization possibilities.” He adds that from a mental health treatment perspective, a virtual therapy app &#8220;isn’t going to solve your problems, because people who are truly ill will by definition require a lot more.”



Relying on digital therapy platforms might also provide a false sense of security for users who actually need more serious mental-health care, and many of these apps are ill-equipped to deal with emergencies like suicide, drug overdoses or the medical consequences of psychiatric illness. “The level of intervention simply isn’t strong enough,” says Luo, “and so these aspects still need to be evaluated by a trained professional.



&#8211; Ruth Umoh, Diversity and Inclusion Writer, Forbes Staff.

Tag: Apps

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