Kaylana Mueller-Hsia discuss home tests for COVID-19 and their privacy protections — or lack thereof: Like so much else about the Covid-19 response, how well test providers handle the sensitive health data of their customers will impact Americans’ trust in this tool and thus its usefulness. Federal law does play a role through the Health…
Category: Healthcare
AU: Woolworths gave customer data to NSW Health
Casey Tonkin reports: Woolworths gave data about customers who use its Everyday Rewards scheme to NSW Health in order to assist contact tracers. At the outbreak of the recent Berala cluster linked to a BWS in Sydney’s west, Woolworths analysed information from its Everyday Rewards loyalty scheme to find customers who visited the store at times when…
Israel’s data-for-vaccines deal with Pfizer raises privacy concerns
Ilan Ben Zion reports: After sprinting ahead in the race to inoculate its population against the coronavirus, Israel has struck a deal with Pfizer, promising to share vast troves of medical data with the international drug giant in exchange for the continued flow of its hard-to-get vaccine. Proponents say the deal could allow Israel to…
Vaccine Site Uses Credit History to Verify Patients’ Identities
Samantha Cole reports: When retired web developer Catherine Kunicki tried to sign up for her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in downtown Brooklyn, the AdvantageCare Physicians website rejected her. She received an error message that her identity couldn’t be verified through Experian, a credit monitoring company. She said she’s felt “horrified” at the amount…