The Associated Press has an article about balancing privacy against the desire for information about flu. They compare how different areas are handling it and the implications of each type of approach. They do not mention the case of Andrew Speaker, the lawyer who became infamous in 2007 when unnamed officials released his name as…
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Calif. bill to protect Social Security numbers, medical records and other personal data
Jake Henshaw of The Californian reports: Social Security numbers, medical records and other personal data could get more protection from disclosure if a bill that passed its first legislative review Tuesday becomes law. Assembly Bill 1094 by Assemblywoman Connie Conway, R-Tulare, is intended to plug a legal hole on how landlords should handle personal records…
CO: Expansion of DNA sampling law progresses in Senate
Senate Bill 241, proposed by John Morse, would require anyone arrested for a felony to submit a DNA sample. The proposed law expands DNA collection from the current law that limits DNA collection to those who are convicted and would affect approximately 60,000 people each year. Although there are provisions to allow people to request…
Americans' medical files go digital, by way of Asia
Paul Watson of the Los Angeles Times has an article on how medical transcription services are outsourced. Jeff Drummond of HIPAA Blog doesn’t have a problem with that and doesn’t see much risk if the info is mainly medical and not financial. I would bet that for many people, the risk of their sensitive medical…
Iowa Supreme Court: Parents cannot access minor child's mental health records if it is not in the best interests of the child
The Associated Press has an article about a court case in Iowa with important implications for the privacy of mental health records of minors in Iowa.  The issue before the court was: The issue we must decide is whether a divorced parent with legal custody can obtain her children’s mental health records by presenting…
Test of Lincoln DNA sought to prove cancer theory
Every so often, I read about cases where someone wants to exhume long-dead historical figures to test for medical conditions. Now Ron Todt of the Associated Press reports that a researcher wants to test the blood stains on the pillowcase that was stained with President Lincoln’s blood after he was shot. The story touches on…