TY - JOUR T1 - Protecting Mental Health Data Privacy in India: The Case of Data Linkage With Aadhaar JF - Global Health: Science and Practice JO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT SP - 467 LP - 480 DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00346 VL - 9 IS - 3 AU - Ameya Bondre AU - Soumitra Pathare AU - John A. Naslund Y1 - 2021/09/30 UR - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/9/3/467.abstract N2 - Key MessagesUnder the Aadhaar system, biometric and demographic data stored in a central database can pose a significant threat to the data privacy of individuals with potentially stigmatizing conditions such as mental health disorders.The emerging use of artificial intelligence in digital solutions (including health interventions) can further complicate this situation. There is often patient exclusion in the development of artificial intelligence systems in mental health research and clinical practice.Based on Global Data Protection Regulation and other data privacy regulations, this article provides guidelines for mental health policy makers, professionals, technologists, and related health system stakeholders to protect the individual’s data privacy.The Mental Health Care Act 2017 in India represents a landmark legislation advocating for the rights, dignity, and autonomy of persons facing the challenges of mental illness and aims to transform the delivery of mental health care across the country.1,2 The new law mentions digital data privacy; yet few studies have focused on this to date.3 This has contributed to its low prioritization in emerging digital mental health programs in India.The Government of India has made a systematic effort to ensure that all health service clients have a unique health identity (UHID), a digital identity issued by health care providers to track patients and secure relevant health documents, and link the UHID to the unique identification number assigned to every Indian resident, called the “Aadhaar” number.4,5 This linkage raises critical questions of how well the system and the community-at-large are prepared for such a large-scale data linkage and its implications for privacy. This has especially important implications for individuals living with mental illness, as safeguarding their data privacy is essential to reduce their risk of being judged or facing stigma, hostility, or adversities in personal or workplace relationships. … ER -