Crisis Text Line—Crisis Text Line shared anonymized mental health crisis data with for-profit spinoff Loris.AI
In 2022, Crisis Text Line was found to be sharing anonymized data from mental health crisis conversations with Loris.AI, a for-profit spinoff that sold customer service software. Data included word frequency, distress types, and user interactions. Users in mental health crisis couldn't meaningfully consent; some had to agree to data sharing to speak with counselors. Crisis Text Line ended the partnership after FCC Commissioner intervention and public backlash.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Protection | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Corporate Transparency | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| User Privacy | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -1.030 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.82)
Evidence (4 signals)
FCC Commissioner demanded Crisis Text Line end data sharing to preserve mental health hotline integrity
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr sent formal letter requesting the nonprofit end its data-sharing arrangement with Loris.AI 'to preserve the integrity of mental health hotlines.' This regulatory pressure contributed to Crisis Text Line ending the relationship.
Former board chair Danah Boyd admitted Terms of Service is not consent for vulnerable crisis users
Danah Boyd, former board chair of Crisis Text Line, publicly stated: 'I knew darn straight that no one would read it' regarding the Terms of Service, acknowledging that people in crisis were not meaningfully consenting to have their data studied or commercialized. Crisis Text Line announced ending data-sharing relationship effective immediately.
Politico exposed Crisis Text Line's data sharing with for-profit spinoff Loris.AI
Politico investigation revealed Crisis Text Line shared anonymized crisis conversations with Loris.AI, a for-profit customer service company. Privacy experts questioned whether users were aware of arrangement and noted difficulty in truly anonymizing personal data from mental health conversations.
Crisis Text Line ended Loris.AI data sharing partnership after public backlash
Popular Science and other outlets reported Crisis Text Line was sharing anonymized crisis data with Loris.AI. FCC Commissioner intervened. The organization ended the partnership.