Blog Posts: Data Privacy & Security
First, Do No Harm: Physicians Must Protect Patient Privacy When Networking Online
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is designed to protect patients from unwanted intrusion into the intimate details of their medical conditions. But that same protection may be hindering caregivers from using modern technology to gain the information they need to give the best care possible. While professionals in other fields may easily consult with each other over Internet social networks like Facebook, HIPAA regulations prevent doctors from using such unsecured platforms. Ironically, in the Internet age the medical profession is still heavily reliant on FAX machines.
Study Shows Increase in Patient Healthcare Data Breaches
A 2011 study about patient privacy and data security in hospitals, doctors' offices and other healthcare organizations concluded that data breaches are on the rise in the healthcare industry. These organizations are subject to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which establishes rules that control how an organization may use private patient information and under what circumstances an organization may disclose that information to third parties.
Is Your Business Taking Steps To Avoid Data-Security Breaches?
Scan the news and it's impossible to avoid stories of data-security breaches. Hackers are more sophisticated than ever and are breaking into the online homes of banks, school districts and even giant public utilities to steal the data of these entities' customers.
Google Settles FTC Charges of Safe Harbor Privacy Violations
A recent FTC settlement with Google over privacy-policy violations marked the FTC's first action charging a company with falsely certifying compliance with the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor program.Firms Continue To Struggle with Payment-Card Security Compliance
In 2004, in response to increasing payment-card breaches and related fraud, the major payment-card brands banded together to develop the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) — a 12-requirement standard governing the handling of payment-card data. All merchants and other organizations that store, process and transmit cardholder data are obligated to comply with PCI-DSS.
Identity Theft: Is It Just a FACTA Life?
The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) is a federal consumer-rights law that is intended to lower the risk of identity theft by regulating the way companies handle consumer information. Although passed in 2003, important implementating regulations have just begun to take effect.
