Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued a report discussing “big data.” The report compiles the agency’s learning from recent seminars and research, including a public workshop held on September 15, 2014. Known best for its role as the federal government’s consumer protection watchdog, the FTC highlights in the report a number
Wearables, Wellness and Privacy
Bloomberg BNA (subscription) recently reported that this fall the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) will be issuing a report on Fitbit Inc.’s privacy practices. Avid runners, walkers or those up on the latest gadgets likely know about Fitbit, and its line of wearable fitness devices. Others may know about Fitbit due to the need…
The Hololens From Microsoft – Help Can Be Right Under…Over Your Nose
The saying – never let them see you sweat – soon may be more difficult to accomplish with Microsoft’s Hololens. Like Google Glass, the Hololens is worn as a headset. But this device has a “plurality” of sensors that gather a range of biometrics parameters (heart rate, perspiration, etc.) which determine along with other…
EEOC Wellness Program Regulations Offer Best Practices for Medical Record Confidentiality
As reported on our Benefits Law Advisor, the EEOC has issued proposed wellness program regulations. Much of the attention to those proposed rules understandably will be how they would affect the incentives employers have implemented to spur their employees to engage in healthier behaviors. The proposed rules also address, however, the confidentiality provisions under…
OCR Issues Ebola Guidance on HIPAA Privacy
According to the New York Times, Bellevue Hospital Center patient Craig Spencer, the first New Yorker to be infected with Ebola, is scheduled to be released today. And while the intense reporting about Ebola has subsided, perhaps indicating a lowering of the perceived threat of Ebola spreading further in the U.S. (although many continue…
Ebola Preparedness – Listen To A Discussion By Jackson Lewis Practice Group Leaders
By Joseph J. Lazzarotti on
Effective management of an Ebola infection in your business can be dramatically enhanced by some careful planning. If you are addressing safety and health issues, questions about whether an employee should come to work (or employees who don’t want to come to work because of a belief there is an infected employee there already), or…
Ebola Presents Significant Workplace Challenges
By Joseph J. Lazzarotti on
We addressed the dangers of “snooping” into patient records by hospital workers spurred by incidents of Ebola and Enterovirus D-86 in the U.S. Of course, the workplace challenges created by Ebola, Enterovirus D-86 and other contagious diseases and illnesses in the workplace go far beyond snooping, and far beyond healthcare employers. Employers in all industries…
Big Data in the Workplace, EEOC Attorney Urges Caution
By Joseph J. Lazzarotti on
You may have been reading about how “Big Data” technologies are being used for a variety of purposes, such as making purchase suggestions based on prior buying patterns or staging law enforcement resources based on predictions for where and when crimes are likely to occur. But these technologies also are being used in…
California Appellate Court Expands Common Law Right of Privacy
By Jackson Lewis P.C. on
The Fourth District Court of Appeal for the State of California expanded the tort of "public disclosure of private facts" under that state’s common law right to privacy in a case involving a claim by an employee against her supervisor and employer. Ignat v. Yum! Brands, Inc. et al, No. G046434, (Cal. Ct. App. March…
Jackson Lewis White Paper Addresses Legal Risks Stemming From Occupational Health Nurses and On-site Health Clinics
Read Jackson Lewis’ white paper addressing legal risks stemming from occupational health nurses and on-site health clinics…
Continue Reading Jackson Lewis White Paper Addresses Legal Risks Stemming From Occupational Health Nurses and On-site Health Clinics