Identity is a data-rich key that acts to unlock all levels of the emerging digital ecosystem. All forms of ID carry some risk, but digital forms of ID, or “dematerialized ID,” cuts across all sectors and generates particularly copious data about people, their behaviors, financial status, associates, and potentially even political and religious views. Over time, distinct patterns emerge from the data and have in the past created new kinds of risks for individuals and groups…..

WPF has written to the US Department of Health and Human Services advising them on their Request for Information (RFI) about possible changes to HIPAA privacy and security protections. The RFI has a number of suggestions that, should they become part of a formal proposal, would significantly weaken HIPAA privacy protections.

We have updated our medical data breach map to bring it current to January 2019. This interactive map displays the location of each medical data breach recorded at the US Department of Health and Human Services from 2009-2018. To get the most from the map, you can view breaches by year, by region, and in a simple text list. 

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has produced a set of cybersecurity resources for healthcare provider organizations from small to large. So far, HHS has published four documents: an overview report of cybersecurity issues and practices, two technical volumes, and a toolkit. The documents focus on what an expert multistakeholder consensus group determined to be the five most prevalent cybersecurity threats and the ten core cybersecurity practices. The practices are voluntary, and utilize the NIST cybersecurity framework. The documentation is based in reality, not conjecture, and the documents are not intended to sell any particular products for any particular vendor. This has allowed for a rich and helpful documentation of current challenges along with solutions. See our overview of the four new resources.

Highlights of WPF events in January and February, 2019. January: CES 2019 WPF will be participating in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019 Jan. 8-11, 2019. CES is the largest electronics show in the world and serves as advance notice for emerging technologies and privacy trends. WPF’s schedule at CES is as follows: Tuesday Jan. 8