Sharing Radiology Images on Social Media

A Modern Dilemma: Sharing Radiology Images on Social Media

An analysis of the legal, ethical, and professional considerations for radiologists in the digital age.

Created by Dr. Sharad Maheshwari, imagingsimplified@gmail.com

The common practice of sharing "interesting cases" on social media is legally and ethically fraught with risk. In most cases, it is a violation of data protection laws and professional standards.

DPDP Act Violation

Posting an image online is a new "purpose" for the data, which requires separate, explicit consent. Social media is not a secure environment, violating the duty to maintain security safeguards [1].

GDPR Violation

As "special category data," health images require an explicit legal basis for sharing. This also constitutes a cross-border data transfer, which is strictly regulated [2].

HIPAA Violation

This is an impermissible disclosure of PHI. Simply cropping a name is not sufficient; all 18 "Safe Harbor" identifiers must be removed, a near-impossible task for many images [3].

The Only Defensible Scenario: A Strict Checklist

Before even considering sharing an image for genuine educational purposes, a radiologist must be able to answer YES to all of the following questions:

Social Media Sharing Checklist

• ✅
  Is the Educational Value Clear and Substantial? Is the post genuinely for peer education, not entertainment or self-promotion?
• ✅
  Has the Image Been Irreversibly Anonymized? This includes all DICOM tags, all burnt-in annotations, and an assessment of re-identification risk from facial features or rare conditions.
• ✅
  (Gold Standard) Has Explicit Patient Consent Been Obtained? Has the patient given specific, written consent to share their anonymized image on a specific social media platform for educational purposes?

Conclusion: The casual practice of sharing patient images online is a legal and ethical minefield. The risk to patient trust and the potential for legal action far outweigh the benefits in almost all cases.

References

1. Government of India, Ministry of Law and Justice. (2023). The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
2. European Parliament and Council of the European Union. (2016). Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation).
3. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). (2012). Guidance Regarding Methods for De-identification of Protected Health Information in Accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule.

© 2025. This article is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.