The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is about to rule whether health care entities will need to notify patients if their de-identified data — patient data that has been stripped of all potential for identifying individuals, which is often used for research and development — is breached. As it stands now, de-identified…
German politicians protest EU plan to share bank data
German politicians and government officials have reacted angrily to a plan by the European Commission to renew an agreement with the United States, which gives anti-terror officials’ the ability to scrutinize the banking activities of European citizens. The oversight occurs through the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Transactions or SWIFT, which handles millions of transactions…
Barwatch: Privacy ruling a risk to public safety
A ruling by B.C.’s privacy commissioner that an identity-scanning technology used by dozens of bars and clubs in the province violates privacy laws may put public safety in jeopardy, the chairman of Vancouver Barwatch said Friday. “Our fear is that his ruling has put Barwatch out of business, and that every gangster and every nutbar…
Wal-Mart to revamp its privacy policy
One month from now, Wal-Mart will unveil a radically changed privacy policy, one that envisions a merged channel world, where consumers are as likely to use their phone and laptop to interact with Wal-Mart as much as they would walk into a store or speak with a call center. The policy talks about data not…