Private medical records of Colorado residents exposed on InternetYesterday over at Future Tense radio: As medical records are created and transmitted electronically more
and more, the chance of private information falling into the wrong
hands is growing. Sometimes records are stolen by hackers, other times
just improperly secured. Compromised records can lead to a range of
problems, from loss of employment to identity theft to plain old
embarrassment.
Future Tense has discovered that detailed, personally identifiable
medical records of thousands of Colorado residents were viewable on a
publicly accessible Internet site for an uncertain period of time
through at least last Friday, May 18. The data included patient records
from at least 10 Colorado clinics and hospitals, and one hospital in
Peoria, Illinois. It's unclear how many people may have seen the
records. They found--or were tipped off to--an unsecured ftp server, and possible HIPAA violation. The story is available in several formats including mp3 and iTunes, so this show might make some interesting commuting listening.
Today this story has appeared on Boing Boing one of the most-read blogs. People care about stories like this.
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