Cross-posted from PogoWasRight.org: Some of the controversy yesterday over The SAFE Data Act, introduced by Rep. Mary Bono Mack, concerns the limited definition of “personal information” in terms of what would trigger a breach disclosure and notification. Although some of the arguments appeared to follow partisan lines, the issue is not a partisan one, so…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
Editorial: Missing records case reveals vulnerabilities
From an editorial in the Winston-Salem Journal: The mysterious case of the missing medical records apparently has been solved, though we think it took Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center too long — six weeks — to disclose its findings. And since this most recent case is the second time in less than two years that medical records…
Government scolded for data breach notification delays
Aliya Sternstein reports: The Obama administration in recent weeks has recommended that companies move more quickly to alert customers when their personal data is compromised. Now internal auditors are recommending the federal government listen to its own advice. In a report released Thursday, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration dinged the IRS for not notifying taxpayers…
UK: Target practice?
Is Local Government being disproportionately targeted by the Information Commissioner? Jonathan Baines looks at the evidence. On 1 July 2011 the Information Commissioner (IC), Christopher Graham, issued a strongly-worded press release, which announced the publication of five undertakings he had required NHS Trusts to sign, following serious breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). In…
140,000 children could be identity fraud victims
For most people, the thought of their children being victims of identity fraud is even more chilling than being a victim themselves. While children are less at risk for identity fraud than adults, when it happens it can be much more devastating because the fraudulent activity can go undetected for years, making it all that…
UK: Banks face more privacy complaints from customers than any other group
Gerri Peev: Banks have attracted more customer complaints than any other group over allegations of mishandling sensitive information, the privacy watchdog reveals today. Lenders routinely lost, released or wrongly recorded personal data, the Information Commissioner warned in his annual report which detailed 603 complaints. But the true scale of privacy and data breaches could be…