Records on 300m patient interactions with NHS stolen in Russian hack
GuardianJun 25
Canada: Court Orders Release of LifeLabs Data Breach Report
Above: LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services in Markham, Ontario, on December 20, 2019. Image copyright: Wikimedia Commons
The Facts
Following a 2019 hacking incident at LifeLabs Inc., which compromised the personal health data of up to 15M Canadians, a joint investigation by Ontario and British Columbia privacy commissioners finalized in 2020 has been published, with the report concluding that LifeLabs failed to safeguard client information.
The report, which also found LifeLabs had collected more health information than necessary, was released after the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the company's appeal to have it kept hidden on the grounds of attorney-client privilege.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Canada faces rising data breaches driven by cybercrime and state-sponsored attacks, targeting personal, financial, and health data. As threat actors grow more sophisticated, the government has allocated $917.4M to addressing the issue, strengthened the Cyber Centre, and begun offering public guidance to enhance resilience. More companies must implement their own strict safeguards and share intelligence with the government.
Establishment-critical narrative
While discussions about cyber threat protections are important, we should also discuss how these companies collect and sell our data as a business model. From fitness routines to sleep and menstrual cycle trackers, health tech companies profit from giving third parties access to our most intimate details. It's time that patients be allowed to take ownership of their personal details.