Records on 300m patient interactions with NHS stolen in Russian hack
GuardianJUN 19 2024
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 concluded in 2020 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 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.LifeLabs, which handles the majority of doctor-prescribed medical tests outside of hospitals in British Columbia (BC), has since abided by the report's mandatory actions, including the appropriate staffing of security teams.
LifeLabs, which handles the majority of doctor-prescribed medical tests outside of hospitals in British Columbia (BC), has since abided by the reports' mandatory actions, including the appropriate staffing of security teams.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.
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 offersbegun offering public guidance to enhance resilience. More companies must implement their own strict safeguards and share intelligence with the government.
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 cyclescycle trackers, health tech companies profit from giving third parties access to our most intimate details. IfIt's anyonetime isthat decidingpatients tobe sellallowed orto monetizetake thisownership information,of ittheir shouldpersonal be the patientdetails.