(THE CONVERSATION) Facebook recently announced that it is getting more involved in the personal crowdfunding business. Individual users will have the option of placing a “donate” button on their posts to raise funds for six categories of causes that include personal emergencies and health-related expenses.

Given the enormous user base of Facebook, this practice will most likely benefit many people. But, as a bioethicist researching issues related to medical crowdfunding for the past two years, I am concerned about this development, particularly with regard to privacy.

Growing popularity of med...