As reported by HealthcareInfoSecurity.com, a former hospital employee is facing criminal charges brought by federal prosecutors in Texas for alleged violations of the privacy and security requirements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). You may remember that back on June 1, 2005, the Department of Justice issued an opinion supporting the
FTC Amends Guidance to Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rules, Clarifying “Verifiable Parental Consent” Requirements
In response to reported on-going confusion regarding how to satisfy the “verifiable parental consent” requirements in Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) 15 U.S.C. §6501 et. seq. (1998), and its implementing regulations, 12 CFR Part 312 (2000), the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) revised its guidance on enforcement of the same. According to the
Supreme Court Decision in Riley Affects Cellphone Searches in Civil Litigation, Employment Matters
When the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision Riley v. California, a Fourth Amendment criminal case, we suspected it would not be long before the rationale in that case concerning the privacy interests individuals have in cellphones would be more broadly applied. In late June, a federal district court in Connecticut denied
USA Soccer Team Players Monitored by GPS to Reduce Injury and Improve Productivity…a Tool for the Workplace?
As I write this post, the U.S. v. Belgium match is underway – a win is needed by the United States to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup. Most watching the game may not realize that GPS technology will be monitoring just about every movement taken by U.S. players on the field
Strengthened Florida Data Breach Notification Law Signed by Governor Scott
As we reported earlier, Florida lawmakers passed extensive revisions to its existing data breach notification law, SB 1524. On June 20, 2014, Florida’s Governor Rick Scott signed the bill into law, which becomes effective on July 1, 2014.
Our earlier post provides more of a discussion about key provisions of the law. But
Restaurant Stakeout: A Sign of the Times for Workplace Monitoring?
The last couple of times I passed by the TV to see what the kids were watching, I was surprised not to see Spongebob Squarepants or the Yankee game (Michael and Grace have their separate interests, but they usually can agree on something, at least in the short term). Anyway, they happened to be intently
The K5 Autonomous Data Machine Might Soon Be Securing and Monitoring Your Business
Developed by Knightscope, the K5 Autonomous Data Machine is a 5 foot tall, 300 pound robotic device designed to be “a safety and security tool for corporations, as well as for schools and neighborhoods,” as reported by the New York Times. While K5 may not yet be ready for prime time, its developers
California Healthcare Provider Defeats Data Breach Class Action on Definition of Medical Information
In a victory for California healthcare providers, the California Court of Appeal recently held that a health care provider is not liable under California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) (Cal. Civ. Code, § 56 et seq.) when the health care provider releases an individual’s personal identifying information, but the information does
OCR Provides HIPAA “Lessons Learned” In Data Breach Report to Congress
An Office for Civil Rights (OCR) report issued this month reveals some interesting details about data breach activity under HIPAA, as well as some helpful reminders and recommendations for covered entities and business associates. Section 13402(i) of the HITECH Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit a report to various Senate
FTC Objects to Sale of Company Assets Based on Potential Breach of Privacy Policy
Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) filed a limited objection in bankruptcy court to the proposed sale of assets of ConnectEdu, Inc. (“ConnectEdu”) on the grounds that the company’s privacy policy protecting customer personal information had potentially not been complied with.
Specifically, ConnectEdu, an education technology company that provided interactive tools to assist students, parents