Years ago, I commented that I could understand – and even appreciate – the use of GPS devices in helping families of Alzheimer’s patients keep their family member safe. It was one of the only exceptions I could think of to my opposition to using tracking devices on people, even though it raises important issues…
Participants in Personal Genome Project Identified by Privacy Experts
From the MIT Technology Review: One of the biggest questions in biology is the nature versus nurture debate, the relative roles that genetic and environmental factors play in determining human traits. In 2006, George Church at Harvard University and a few others started the Personal Genome Project (PGP) to help answer this question. The goal…
AU: Data breach notification bill revealed
Darren Pauli reports: The Australian Government’s plans for a data breach notification scheme have been shared with a small number of key stakeholders as a draft exposure bill, marked as Confidential. The Exposure Draft Privacy Amendment (Privacy Alerts) Bill 2013, obtained by SC, was the strongest sign to date that current Government plans to bring mandatory data…
Amendment to PA data breach notification statute passes, requires notification within 7 days of discovery
By a vote of 49-0, the Pennsylvania Senate passed Senate Bill 114, amending the state’s data breach notification law. Section 1. Section 3 of the act of December 22, 2005 (P.L.474, No.94), known as the Breach of Personal Information Notification Act, is amended by adding subsections to read: Section 3. Notification of breach. (a.1) Notification…
Update: MN seeks dismissal of suits over DNR data breach
Associated Press reports that Minnesota is seeking dismissal of lawsuits stemming from an employee’s improper access to the state’s driver’s license database: The state of Minnesota has asked a federal judge to dismiss five lawsuits filed on behalf of several people who say their driver’s license data was improperly accessed by a Department of Natural…
FTC Panel Highlights Growing Problem of Medical Identity Theft, Especially Among Senior Citizens
Identity theft is the nation’s fastest-growing crime, claiming almost ten million victims per year, according to FBI statistics. Medical identity theft is the latest threat to affect patients—especially senior citizens. To address this growing epidemic, the Federal Trade Commission will host the educational forum “Senior Identity Theft: A Problem in This Day and Age” to discuss the challenges facing victims of…