Amanda Marcotte writes: With a recent surge in unprecedented attacks on reproductive rights—federal assaults on women’s right to use private funding for abortion and the House attempting to defund Planned Parenthood—it certainly seems like it’s high season for misogyny. In the woman-hating clamor, one story has risen to the top: a Georgia state legislator (Republican,…
Author: Dissent
Arrest made in South Florida ID theft case
Lisa J. Huriash reports that 400 Oakland Park and Delray Beach firefighters and police are watching their accounts after 31 of their own of them learned that their identity information was used in a tax refund fraud scheme. Both towns use the same retirement plan administrator, raising the possibility of a common point of a…
AU: Project risks medical record privacy, expert warns
Karen Dearne reports: Health bureaucrats risk exposing patient medical information by starting e-health projects before key decisions on security, consent, technical controls and regulatory oversight are made. And Australian Privacy Foundation chair Roger Clarke has attacked the National E-Health Transition Authority and federal Health officials for cutting consumers out of the design process for the…
UK: Forced sterilisation case heard in public
Clare Jaycock writes: On 15 February 2011 Hedley J ordered that a case proceeding in the Court of Protection which featured medical information of the highest sensitivity should be held in open court. The Court of Protection normally hears such cases in private. The case concerned a young woman aged 21 with severe learning difficulties…
Monterey Pot Cooperative Claims City Violated HIPAA
Azenith Smith reports: A Monterey pot shop says the city illegally raided its clients’ private medical files. Now they’re looking to file a lawsuit. “He opens up a HIPPA (sic) labeled file,” says Jhonrico Carrnshimba, a MyCaregiver director. “He sees a number of files in it at this point they should close the file. They…
Alabama police officer indicted for ID theft
Bradley Howard Pemberton, 41, a sergeant with the Montgomery Police Department (“MPD”), was indicted recently on federal wire fraud and identity theft charges, according to an announcement by Leura G. Canary, United States Attorney. The indictment alleges that through his position with MPD, Pemberton was authorized to access the Law Enforcement Tactical System (“LETS”), which…