NHS Birmingham East and North (BEN) breached the Data Protection Act by failing to restrict access to files on their IT network, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced today. The breach, which was discovered by BEN on September 8, led to some NHS staff at their own Trust and two other NHS Trusts nearby potentially…
Hackers may have accessed more than 25,000 South Carolina students’ personal info
The identity of thousands of students and teachers has potentially been compromised after officials with the Lancaster County School District say a hacker was able to access their system. According to school officials, the hackers were able to hack into the district’s system by monitoring district computers and capturing keystrokes to get passwords. Those passwords…
Ca: Fact Sheet #17 – Applying PHIPA and FIPPA/MFIPPA to Personal Health Information
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has issued a Fact Sheet to provide organizations that are defined as both health information custodians under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and institutions under public sector privacy and access to information legislation, namely the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) or its municipal…
GA: Gwinnett ID Theft Case Could Have 5,800 Victims
I wonder how many people using check-cashing services or walk-in tax preparer services ever consider whether the person they’re doing business with might be an ID thief who’s using the business as a lucrative source of identity information. Consider this case in Georgia: Duluth police arrested a woman who they said could be a link…
Rhode Island board disciplines doctor after Facebook description of case results in patient being recognized
Thomas J. Morgan reports: A physician who posted information on Facebook that allowed the identification of a patient, and another who has problems with alcohol and marijuana, are among six doctors who have been disciplined by the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline. The board found Alexandra Thran, of Westerly Hospital, guilty of…
Saskatchewan privacy commissioner takes action after more medical records found in dumpsters
Taylor Shire reports: REGINA — Four more cases of medical files being found in dumpsters has prompted the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner, Gary Dickson, to take action. Records were found in a Saskatoon dumpster on April 6 and materials were found outside a dumpster in northwest Regina two days later. Two other situations of…