Darren Cartwright reports: Two call centre operators have been stood down following an incident that cast doubts on the security of the Queensland government’s paperless ticket system, the go card. Acting Premier Paul Lucas said an investigation was under way to determine why a commuter’s go card was stripped of funds and transferred to another…
Author: Dissent
TSA ID theft probe ongoing
Jessica Fargen reports: A former Transportation Security Administration contract worker at Logan International Airport – accused a month ago of stealing co-workers’ personal information and giving it to alleged identity thieves – remains under investigation, authorities said. The TSA and Massachusetts State Police are probing the woman’s alleged role in the successful scheme. No charges…
Time for full and frank data disclosure (opinion)
From an editorial in New Scientist: DNA profiling technology has improved by leaps and bounds since its potential was first glimpsed by geneticist Alec Jeffreys in 1984. But as DNA databases grow, so does the risk that coincidental matches will lead to false convictions. This week we report on the publication of a letter in…
Customers alerted to BlueCross data breach
Customers of Chattanooga-based insurer BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee slowly are being notified by mail of a potential breach of their personal information. This week, BCBS will provide updated data to the public on exactly how many customers were exposed when 57 hard drives were pilfered in October from a storage closet at the insurer’s Eastgate…
Does HITECH necessitate a change in your Notice of Privacy Practices?
Attorney Jeff Drummond blogs: Changing your NoPP? As you know, the original Privacy Rule requried covered entities to adopt a “Notice of Privacy Practices” to tell patients (or beneficiaries if you’re a health plan) how they plan to use and disclose the individuals’ PHI. You get this sheet each time you go to a doctor…
Ex-UCLA researcher pleads guilty to record breach
Shaya Tayefe Mohajer of Associated Press reports: A former UCLA School of Medicine researcher pleaded guilty to reading confidential medical records of celebrities, high-profile patients and his co-workers in federal court on Friday. Los Angeles resident Huping Zhou, 38, entered a conditional guilty plea to four counts of violating federal medical privacy laws in a…