Joining the growing number of states which have enacted laws regulating the destruction of records to prevent possible identity theft, the Rhode Island Legislature passed H. 5092 on October 29, 2009. The bill requires businesses and government agencies to completely destroy records containing personal information, or render the personal information unusable, before disposing of records whether
Law Firm Fined for Filing Papers with Social Security Numbers
In another recent example of a law firm running afoul of privacy requirements in litigation (See also the discussion of Kim v. St. Elizabeth’s), U.S. District Judge Michael Davis recently assessed a $5,000 sanction against the law firm for electronically filing an affidavit that contained the Social Security numbers and dates of births
Caution Required When Responding to Requests for Medical Records
As shown by a recent Illinois appellate court decision, Kim v. St. Elizabeth’s Hosp., Ill. App. Ct., No. 5-08-0571, (Oct. 23, 2009), the patchwork of federal and state protections for certain types of information has made the process of responding to subpoenas more difficult. This is particularly the case with medical records.
Based on
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Data Security and Breach Notification Measures
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee again approved two pieces of legislation that would require certain entities to safeguard personal information and notify individuals of breaches of that information. Over the last few years, similar legislation made it out of various Committees, but failed to go any further. Could this time be different?
The Committee voted
Employers Go Green: Electronic On-Boarding – Personal Information and Other Challenges
In good and not-so-good economic times, the on-boarding process – recruiting, application, hiring and orientation – is critical for employers to attract and welcome new talent. In recent years, technology has enabled employers to perform all or a part of this process on-line, significantly increasing efficiency and reducing costs. Moving to a web-based on-boarding system
Data Breach Due to Peer-to-Peer Software Reveals Numerous Congressional Ethics Inquiries
The Washington Post is reporting another inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information involving “peer-to-peer” or “P2P” technology. This time, the disclosure exposed a House Ethics Committee document outlining ongoing ethics investigations for an uncomfortably large number of House members. The same technology raises serious issues for employers.
According to the Washington Post, the now-terminated, junior committee