Unauthorized Recording of Online Medical Consultations: A Patient's Right to Privacy in Telemedicine
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65815/t7bk0w82Keywords:
Telemedicine, privacy, patient confidentiality, medical consultation, informed consentAbstract
Telemedicine consultations frequently involve the transmission and storage of highly sensitive medical information through digital communication systems. The ability to record consultations creates significant risks when recordings are made, stored, or shared without the patient's knowledge or consent. This article examines the legal protection available to patients against unauthorized recording and secondary use of online medical consultations in Indonesia. The research employs a normative juridical method by analyzing patient confidentiality, privacy rights, personal data protection, informed consent, and healthcare provider obligations. The study finds that the legal characterization of consultation recordings may involve overlapping categories of medical information, personal data, and confidential communications, resulting in a complex regulatory environment. Existing rules may provide general protection but do not sufficiently establish specific standards governing the recording, retention, access, and secondary use of telemedicine consultations. This article proposes a consent-centered governance model requiring explicit disclosure of recording practices, defined purposes, limited retention periods, restricted access, and effective mechanisms for patients to exercise control over their information. Such measures are necessary to prevent digital healthcare from weakening established standards of medical confidentiality. Protecting privacy in telemedicine should be regarded not merely as a data protection issue but as an essential component of patient autonomy and health justice.
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