Posts tagged Privacy
Harvard Wants Your Genome, But Warns of the Privacy Risks
Oct 20th
Harvard University’s Personal Genome Project is seeking volunteers willing to “share their genome sequence and other personal information with the scientific community and the general public.”
In 2001, Harvard’s Human Genome Project made history by releasing the first draft of a complete human genome. Now Harvard is seeking 99,999 volunteers who are willing to ‘show’ their genomes in public as part of its Personal Genome Project.
The Personal Genome Project is premised on the notion that “many individuals will want to get their own genome sequenced so that they may use this information to understand such things as their individual risk profiles for disease, their physical and biological characteristics, and their personal ancestries. To get to this point will require a critical mass of interested users, tools for obtaining and interpreting genome information, and supportive policy, research, and service communities. To catalyze these developments, [Harvard] launched the Personal Genome Project.”
While potential participants may be understandably excited about the possibility of being part of history, they should proceed with caution. As the Personal Genome Project warns, an individual with enough knowledge and malicious intent may use a participant’s genome information to (as quoted below) cause a great deal of mischief, including the following:
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Tomorrow’s blog will address a recent federal law that is aimed at mitigating some of the potential harm that could come to one if his or her genetic information becomes known.
Disclaimer: The information contained within the MTBC® Learning Center is provided for general educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The author of the Learning Center does not represent the Web site user or the individual submitting a particular question. Please seek the advice of legal counsel to address any specific questions you may have regarding your particular facts or circumstances
President Signs Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act
Sep 26th
Earlier today, the President signed the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act, which strengthens federal law regulating the inappropriate access and use of certain data.
As explained by the House of Representatives (and quoted below), Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act amends the federal criminal code to:
- Authorize criminal restitution orders in identity theft cases to compe
nsate victims for the time spent to remediate the intended or actual harm incurred; - Allow prosecution of computer fraud offenses for conduct not involving an interstate or foreign communication;
- Eliminate the requirement that damage to a victim’s computer aggregate at least $5,000 before a prosecution can be brought for unauthorized access to a computer;
- Make it a felony, during any one-year period, to damage 10 or more protected computers used by or for the federal government or a financial institution;
- Expand the definition of “cyber-extortion” to include a demand for money in relation to damage to a protected computer, where such damage was caused to facilitate the extortion;
- Prohibit conspiracies to commit computer fraud;
- Expand interstate and foreign jurisdiction for prosecution of computer fraud offenses; and
- Impose criminal and civil forfeitures of property used to commit computer fraud offenses.
Disclaimer: The information contained within the MTBC® Learning Center is provided for general educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The author of the Learning Center does not represent the Web site user or the individual submitting a particular question. Please seek the advice of legal counsel to address any specific questions you may have regarding your particular facts or circumstances
HHS to Host Medical Identity Theft Town Hall
Sep 23rd
As readers of this blog may recall, earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, asked the consulting group of Booz Allen Hamilton to perform an assessment and evaluation of United States’ medical identity theft problem.
As part of this assessment and evaluation, HHS is hosting a Medical Identity Theft Town Hall. HHS explains that “the Town Hall’s focus will consider how medical identity theft should be addressed in a health information technology (health IT) environment. Health care stakeholders from the public and private sectors will share their knowledge and experience and gain insights into trends and future developments.”
The details of the Town Hall are as follows:
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For more information about the Town Hall, visit Healthcare IT website. To RSVP for the Town Hall or to participate via the webcast, you may send an email to the following email address: MedIDTheftTownHall@hhs.gov
Disclaimer: The information contained within the MTBC® Learning Center is provided for general educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The author of the Learning Center does not represent the Web site user or the individual submitting a particular question. Please seek the advice of legal counsel to address any specific questions you may have regarding your particular facts or circumstances