DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Still ignoring the smaller paper breaches? Stop.

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Dissent

Add this to your “small breaches, big impact” analyses. As seen on the New Zealand Herald:

A doctor’s office disclosed a patient’s childhood abuse when a letter was sent to the person’s neighbour accidentally.

The incident happened when the patient told their GP about past abuse, who referred them on to counselling to help work through issues stemming from that abuse.

The GP’s office followed up the referral by sending a letter to the patient’s house.

The envelope did not have the patient’s name on it, or a return address.

It also had the incorrect street number, and went to a neighbour’s house instead of the patient’s house.

Not knowing who the letter was for or who it was from, the neighbour opened the letter, accidentally finding out about the patient’s abuse history.

BOOM. A well-intentioned missive, undone by sloppy mailing procedures.

The Privacy Commissioner’s Office handled the complaint and there was some unspecified compensation to the patient and corrective action for the entity, but there are some bells that can’t be un-rung. Now this patient’s neighbor knows an extremely sensitive detail about their neighbor’s past. Do they try to go on as they had in the past, or does the neighbor feel obligated to say something? Does the patient feel obligated to say something? And what stops the neighbor from gossiping with other neighbors?

Do you see where these things can go?

One stupid envelope, misaddressed, with no return address.

Bah.

No related posts.

Category: ExposureHealth DataNon-U.S.Paper

Post navigation

← Here’s how police arrested Lauri Love – and what happened next
Internet Bot Exposes 20 Million MTN Irancell Users’ Data →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Alert: Scattered Spider has added North American airline and transportation organizations to their target list
  • Northern Light Health patients affected by security incident at Compumedics; 10 healthcare entities affected
  • Privacy commissioner reviewing reported Ontario Health atHome data breach
  • CMS warns Medicare providers of fraud scheme
  • Ex-student charged with wave of cyber attacks on Sydney uni
  • Detaining Hackers Before the Crime? Tamil Nadu’s Supreme Court Approves Preventive Custody for Cyber Offenders
  • Potential Cyberattack Scrambles Columbia University Computer Systems
  • 222,000 customer records allegedly from Manhattan Parking Group leaked
  • Breaches have consequences (sometimes) (1)
  • Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty for Hacking a Non-Profit

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • Germany Wants Apple, Google to Remove DeepSeek From Their App Stores
  • Supreme Court upholds Texas law requiring age verification on porn sites
  • Justices nix Medicaid ‘right’ to choose doctor, defunding Planned Parenthood in South Carolina
  • European Commission publishes its plan to enable more effective law enforcement access to data
  • Sacred Secrets: The Biblical Case for Privacy and Data Protection
  • Microsoft’s Departing Privacy Chief Calls for Regulator Outreach
  • Nestle USA Settles Suit Over Job-Application Medical Questions

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.