Research | MedCivic

Digital Health & Patient Safety

Evaluating digital health tools, telehealth platforms, and medical apps for safety, accuracy, and equity impacts on patients and providers.

Privacy, PII & Health Data Security

Investigating how personal health information is collected, shared, and protected across platforms, apps, and public health systems.

Online Health Fraud & DNS Abuse

Studying deceptive health websites, counterfeit pharmacy domains, and DNS-layer abuse that exposes patients to unsafe products and misinformation.

AI & Medicine

Examining the ethical, regulatory, and clinical implications of artificial intelligence in diagnostics, treatment recommendations, and healthcare delivery.

Internet Governance & Public Policy

Analyzing global policy frameworks, domain name governance, and regulatory approaches that affect health information access and online safety.

Research & Impact Reports

Publishing accessible, evidence-based reports that translate our findings into actionable policy recommendations for regulators, providers, and the public.

Our research informs real-world solutions for a healthier and more trustworthy Internet.

Publications

Peer-reviewed articles, white papers, and policy briefs produced by MedCivic researchers and student contributors.

White Paper

Health Domain Abuse: Patterns and Policy Gaps

Authors: MedCivic Research Team · 2024

An analysis of DNS-layer abuse targeting health consumers, including rogue pharmacy domains, health misinformation sites, and counterfeit telehealth portals.

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Policy Brief

AI Diagnostic Tools: Transparency Requirements for FDA Approval

Authors: MedCivic Research Team · 2024

Recommendations for strengthening FDA guidance on explainability and bias auditing requirements for AI-based medical devices.

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Student Research

Mobile Health Apps & HIPAA: A Compliance Audit

Authors: MedCivic Student Team · 2023

A systematic review of privacy practices in the 50 most-downloaded mHealth apps, benchmarked against HIPAA technical safeguard standards.

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Impact Report

2023 Annual Research Impact Report

MedCivic · 2023

A summary of MedCivic's research output, policy engagement, and measurable impact on digital health safety and Internet governance debates.

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Student Projects

Hands-on research and advocacy projects led by student members, from early scoping to published findings.

Telehealth Platform Audit

Student team evaluating leading telehealth platforms for data-sharing practices, informed consent clarity, and cross-device tracking.

In Progress

Wearable Health Device Privacy

Mapping the data flows from consumer wearables to third-party advertisers and insurance partners, with policy recommendations.

Completed

Counterfeit Drug Domain Mapping

Using DNS and WHOIS data to identify and report clusters of illegal online pharmacy domains targeting US and EU consumers.

In Progress

Algorithmic Bias in Clinical AI

Reviewing published literature on racial and gender bias in FDA-authorized AI/ML-based clinical decision support tools.

Recruiting

Health Misinformation on Social Media

Tracking the spread of vaccine and treatment misinformation across major platforms, with engagement pattern analysis.

Completed

ICANN Policy & Health Domains

Monitoring ICANN policy developments affecting health-related top-level domains and filing public comments on behalf of patient advocacy interests.

Ongoing

Interested in joining a student research project?

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Research Partners

MedCivic collaborates with academic institutions, civil society organizations, and domain name industry bodies to amplify our research impact.

Academic Institutions

We work with university public health, law, and computer science programs to co-publish research and mentor student contributors on joint projects.

Internet Governance Bodies

MedCivic participates in ICANN Public Comment processes and multi-stakeholder working groups addressing health domain abuse and consumer protection.

Patient Advocacy Organizations

Partnering with patient-focused nonprofits to ground our research in lived experience and ensure findings reach the communities most affected.

Policy & Civil Society Groups

Collaborating with digital rights organizations and public interest law centers to translate research into legislative testimony and regulatory comment.

Interested in a research partnership with MedCivic?