The client has the right to expect confidentiality. The information received should be stored in a locked cabinet or passworded computer. Any completed sign in forms or questionnaires should not be left on the front counter or in any other area accessible to the public. The therapist should generally not discuss a client’s information or a client’s conversation with others.

It is a common business practice to maintain a backup of computer files off site. If this is done in the therapist’s case, the back up site should have the same protections as the primary office.

The mailing of advertising from the therapist to an address (whether physical or e-mail) provided by the client is probably a violation of confidentiality unless the client has signed permission allowing advertisements. The disclosure of the client’s address to a third party for advertising is certainly a violation.

Therapists working in a practice with other massage therapists frequently discuss clients’ foibles. Various therapists within the office may have access to the client’s records including preferences and history. Presumably the Code of Ethics does not discourage this routine business practice.

Videotaping or making an audio recording of a client’s session without the client’s permission violates the client’s expectation of privacy and may be violative of this ethic. Doing so may also be illegal in some jurisdictions (California is an example.)

Certain model of cell phones are now capable of taking photographs, sometimes in low light. In offices with multiple clients at the same time, the therapist may want to consider banning cell phones with camera ability to protect a client’s confidentiality and privacy. Numerous businesses and government offices have done so.

If an inadvertent release of confidential information occurs, the therapist should do everything possible to correct the error.

Some persons are permitted or required by law not to disclose certain information under specific conditions. These people include attorneys, doctors, husbands and wives, priests, the president of the United States and reporters. Massage therapists are not covered by these laws. A therapist employed by a doctor or acting pursuant to an attorney’s instructions should consult this employer to determine if and when the employer’s privilege extends to the therapist.

A therapist may not be able to wait to be asked before being legally required to divulge otherwise confidential information. Some jurisdictions requires citizen to report information they discover regarding a crime (Indiana—child abuse).

The New York State Education Department says that any incident where the disclosure of confidential information is required should be noted in the therapist’s records.