Ron Winslow reports a settlement in the long-running dispute concerning the use of cancer cells taken from Henrietta Lacks without her consent and then used by researchers for over 60 years: The National Institutes of Health on Wednesday said it reached an unprecedented agreement to protect the privacy of the family of a woman whose…
Month: August 2013
Auburn University error exposes donor and alumni information on public server
On June 19, Auburn University in Alabama learned that spreadsheets containing donor and alumni information had been accidentally uploaded to a public server. The spreadsheets contained an undisclosed number of donor and alumni’s names, maiden names, postal and email addresses, telephone numbers, and Social Security numbers. The spreadsheets also contained former students’ years of attendance,…
Flaw in E-mailing System Exposes Millions of Mexicans’ E-mails
Bogdan Botezatu reports: A massive numbers of Prodigy subscribers in Mexico have had their email conversations exposed overnight because of a security flaw in the company’s mobile e-mail and web-based mail systems. According to a news report by El Economista, the flaw allowed search engines to simply index private conversations and list them on the…
UK: ICO Looking Into Daily Mail Privacy Fail
Tom Brewster reports: The Daily Mail has leaked user data thanks to a technical glitch that appeared to sign its online readers in as the wrong person. The popular right-leaning paper will now face inquiries from the UK’s privacy watchdog. On Tuesday, users complained that when they logged in to the Mail Online, they were recognised as a…
Personal identity records found in dumpster along downtown Cleveland sidewalk
Today’s education sector breach: Personal identity records were discovered Tuesday in a dumpster alongside the former Cleveland school administration building. The building is undergoing renovations for a new hotel and the school district says it has been moving decades of records out for safekeeping or shredding. Even so, some personal information has found its way…
HHS Inspector General: Obamacare Privacy Protections Way Behind Schedule; Rampant Violations Of Law Possible
Avik Roy reports: In order for Obamacare to work, the government will need to know a lot about your financial, medical, and employment situation. Has the Obama administration set up adequate safeguards to protect Americans’ privacy under the law? According to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services,…