Jeremy Kirk reports:
A large health insurer in Western Australia inadvertently shared the home addresses of some psychologists to a web-based appointment booking service, the West Australian reported Wednesday.
The health insurer, HBF, passed names and addresses for psychologists to Whitecoat, a company that develops an online booking and patient review mobile application and website. The details have since been removed. The same details for dentists, dieticians and remedial massage therapists were also passed onto Whitecoat.
Read more on GovInfoSecurity. Because mental health professionals are at risk of being stalked by mentally disturbed individuals, protecting their personal addresses is an important part of their personal safety and security. While some psychologists have offices attached to their homes and therefore, cannot shield their address, others who are hospital- or clinic-based may understandably take steps to be unlisted in phone directories or in online resources or directories.
People need to stop treating addresses so lightly, as the New York Times editorial this week highlighted.