Amy Lynn Sorrel reports: Michigan’s Supreme Court is set to decide whether the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act preempts a state law allowing defendants in medical liability lawsuits to informally interview plaintiffs’ other treating physicians — a move that doctors say could put them at a disadvantage in defending such cases. At issue is…
Data breach by Anglo Irish Bank affects UK clients
From the BBC: The Belfast office of Anglo Irish Bank is at the centre of an investigation after it accidentally released information on 500 UK customers. A bank executive emailed a Northern Ireland client a spreadsheet containing details of derivatives transactions carried out on behalf of the customers. The bank has informed financial regulators in…
MI: Possible security breach at Flagstar
WOOD-TV reports: There is the possibility of a security breach at Flagstar Bank, according to a letter it sent out to some customers Nov. 25. A laptop owned by a bank vendor was stolen, and inside the computer were some customers’ social security numbers. “We have no reason to believe that the files with this…
Medical breaches rarely make national headlines
Over on The Daily Censored, Irene North writes: Medical breaches often get a mention in a local or state paper, but rarely do they make national headlines. Over the past two months, there have been numerous breaches, barely getting a mention, but, when taken as a whole, reveal just how at risk our personal information…
OR: State launches inquiry into records breach
Alan Gustafson reports: A state inquiry is under way to determine whether two state agencies broke Oregon law by dumping records with people’s names and Social Security numbers into an open recycling bin. Regulators with the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services are checking for violations of the Oregon Consumer Identity Theft Protection Act,…
NZ Privacy Commissioner annual report finds security gaps
The New Zealand Privacy Commissioner, Marie Schoff, has presented the annual privacy commissioner’s report for the period ending June 2009. The report (pdf) indicates that privacy concerns are on the increase, particularly with respect to businesses and the Internet. From the report, the section on portable storage devices [PSDs] in the government sector: Our survey…