The other day, I reported a horrific privacy breach that involved a veterans’ very sensitive mental health information being provided to a minister. The breach seemed politically motivated as the veteran had been critical of the government. Such breaches can have a very chilling effect. Michael Staples reports:
Revelations that confidential medical and financial information belonging to an outspoken critic of Veterans Affairs made its way into the briefing notes of a cabinet minister in 2006 could keep former soldiers from getting the help they need, says a retired army colonel.
Ryan Jestin, a past commander at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, said the disclosure of such facts discourages people from divulging personal information, and that could keep them from getting help. He said there’s always the concern that someone will misuse another person’s confidential information.
“This is a prime example,” Jestin said in an interview from Calgary. “This just plays exactly into a lot of people who are already suspicious of the motives for why (they) have to have that information in the first place.”
Read more on Daily Gleaner.