PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

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The Importance and Goals of HIPAA Training Programs

HIPAA Training

by Daniel J. Solove

There is a great quote in this article from HealthcareInfoSecurity: that expresses very well the importance and goals of HIPAA training programs:

Workforce training is important not only for preventing breaches, including those involving ID crimes, but also to help detect those incidents, [Ann Patterson of the Medical Identity Fraud Alliance] says. “Each employee must understand their role in protecting PHI. Equally important is regular and continued evaluation of the training programs to make sure that employees are adhering to the policies put in place, and that the ‘red flags’ detection systems are keeping pace with changing technologies and workplace practices.”

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The OPM Data Breach: Harm Without End?

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By Daniel J. Solove

The recent breach of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) network involved personal data on millions of federal employees, including data related to background checks. OPM is now offering 18 months of free credit monitoring and identity theft insurance to victims. But as experts note in a recent Washington Post article, this is not nearly enough:

If the data is in the hands of traditional cyber criminals, the 18-month window of protection may not be enough to protect workers from harm down the line. “The data is sold off, and it could be a while before it’s used,” said Michael Sussmann, a partner in the privacy and data security practice at law firm Perkins Coie. “There’s often a very big delay before having a loss.”

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Use of Encryption Is Increasing — Albeit Slowly

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by Daniel J. Solove

According to a survey commissioned by Thales e-Security, the use of encryption by organizations is increasing.  Ten years ago, only 15% had an enterprise-wide encryption strategy. Now, 36% have such a strategy.

Chart Encryption Increase 01 Some other interesting findings from the survey also found, according to a ZDNet article:

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New Resource Page: Text of HIPAA’s Training Requirements

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by Daniel J. Solove

I recently created a new resource page for the TeachPrivacy website: Text of HIPAA’s Training Requirements.  This page provides excerpts of the training provisions in the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the HIPAA Security Rule.

This page is designed to be a useful companion page to our resource page, HIPAA Training Requirements: FAQ.  The FAQ discuss my interpretation of the HIPAA training provisions, but the full text of those provisions is located on the separate new resource page above.

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Cybersecurity in the Boardroom

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by Daniel J. Solove

A few days ago, I posted about how boards of directors must grapple with privacy and cybersecurity.   Today, I came across a survey by NYSE Governance Services and Vericode of 200 directors in various industries.

According to the survey, about two-thirds of directors are less than confident about their company’s cybersecurity.  This finding is not surprising given the frequency of data breaches these days.  There is a growing sense of exasperation, as if we are living in an age of a great plague, with bodies piling up in the streets.

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Boards of Directors Must Grapple with Privacy and Cybersecurity

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By Daniel J. Solove

Privacy and cybersecurity have become issues that should be addressed at the board level. No longer minor risks, privacy and cybersecurity have become existential issues. The costs and reputational harm of privacy and security incidents can be devastating.

Yet not enough boards are adequately engaged with these issues. According to a survey last year, 58% of members of boards of directors believed that they should be actively involved in cyber security. But only 14% of them stated that they were actively involved.

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New Resource Page: Privacy and Security Training Requirements

Privacy and Security Training Requirements 02

by Daniel J. Solove

I have created a new resource page for the TeachPrivacy website:  Privacy and Security Training Requirements.

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Green Eggs and Ham: How Not to Market and Invade Privacy

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By Daniel J. Solove

Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham is a timeless classic that is read to millions of children. At first the simple rhymes and cute drawings are alluring. But parents will soon discover the book’s terrifying equation: The tiresome repetition of the book multiplied by the number of times a child will want the book read. The result is mind-numbing and will make parents curse the day they decided to make the book part of their child’s library.

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