Ben Russell of the Independent reports: Confidential patient information has been lost in scores of cases, according to a catalogue of NHS data losses released last night. Files, computers and memory sticks containing details of thousands of patients have been lost according to details released under the Freedom of Information Act. […] You can see…
Author: Dissent
Joint Guidance on the Application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) And the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) To Student Health Records
The purpose of this guidance is to explain the relationship between the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, and to address apparent confusion on the part of school administrators, health care professionals, and others as to how these two…
Tracing a crime suspect through a relative
Maura Dolan and Jason Felch report: Over nearly two decades, a serial killer has shot and strangled at least 11 people, often dumping their battered bodies in alleyways of Inglewood and Los Angeles. Most were black women or girls, the youngest just 14. The latest was found last year, shrouded in a garbage bag. Police…
UK: NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire found in breach of Data Protection Act
A press release from the Information Commissioner’s Office: The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has found NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire in breach of the Data Protection Act after investigating complaints concerning the disposal of patient information at Strathmartine Hospital in Dundee and Law Hospital in Carluke. The ICO was alerted to both data breaches earlier…
UK: NHS lost patient details 135 times in two years
Kaya Burgess reports: The NHS has lost the confidential medical records and personal details of thousands of patients in a “catalogue of errors†uncovered by an investigation into how the health service handles data. A “fundamental re-examination†of how the NHS deals with personal data was demanded last night after research showed that a series…
NZ: Police don't often dip into DNA samples
Police say they rarely use DNA samples taken from newborn babies to help their investigations. The Privacy Commissioner has suggested in a submission to the Health Ministry that two million DNA samples, taken from a heel-prick test of babies born since 1969, should be destroyed or transferred to a secure authority. […] Privacy Commissioner Marie…