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Through September 30, 2011, the largest share of breaches was
not in the financial sector, but in the retail and healthcare
industries, along with government.
Since the Data Security law, c. 93H, went into effect, the
Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation has tracked the
data breach notifications it has received. As of Sept. 30, 2011,
there had been 1,833 notifications of security breaches. The number
of Massachusetts residents affected by the reported incidents since
November 1, 2007 now totals 3,166,031.
As of September 30, 2011, criminal or malicious breaches
totaled 241 of 454 notifications received, 52.5 percent of total
breaches reported.
Encryption is lagging: If all portable devices were encrypted
from 2007 to 2011, the number of residents whose personal
information was compromised would be remarkably lower by 47 percent
or 1,490,308 people. If all portable devices were encrypted from
March 1, 2010 the number of compromised residents would have
decreased by 29 percent or 909,992 people.
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The 2010 theft of an unencrypted laptop containing confidential health care information made front-page news in 2013, not because a huge number of patients were affected, but for the exact opposite reason.
Identity theft is a serious threat. In 2012, more than 12.6 million adults became victims of identity theft in the U.S.1 And the costs have been astronomical.
On April 22 Verizon released its 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), which has since 2008 become a leading annual survey of data breaches, with participants across the globe.
Increasingly, privacy is a big concern in app development. California and other jurisdictions are ramping up enforcement efforts around existing privacy laws.
Understanding the complexities of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules is often a challenge for health care providers and consumers.
Any company that collects personal data from consumers should take proactive steps to have appropriate legal counsel review its data security practices, as well as its terms of service or privacy practices, to identify any potential problem areas.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) published on its website a series of factsheets designed to educate consumers unfamiliar with their rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules.
FTC On The Prowl, And Businesses Looking For Guidance On New COPPA Changes
