CD with medical data of 75,000 is found

news.com

After three months of searching, Blue Cross Blue Shield found a missing CD with information on over 75,000 clients. It was mistakenly mailed to the wrong address and recovered Wednesday, March 14. Although the package was opened by the resident, the company has concluded there should be no grounds for concern and the information was not tampered with.

My main concern regarding this issue is the fact that the insurance company sent the CD unencrypted through the mail. It seems ignorant and rather primitive for such a large corporation to, first of all having the wrong mailing address, and, more importantly, sending personal information like social security numbers without data protection. Considering the CD contained medical histories and personal data of so many people, why would Blue Cross take any risks?

This raises many questions concerning recent proposals to make medical information available on the web. To my understanding, individuals wishing to participate would have a special code that they could put into an online system to access all of their medical files. Doctors would also have access to this information, given the patient's permission, and things like prescriptions could be coordinated with pharmacies. This would also provide immediate access to critical information like allergies and conditions in emergency situations.

Overall, I think the security measures in a system like such would be insufficient in protecting people from identity theft and the like. We have a hard enough time now with online banking and shopping. Plus, if Blue cross can't even handle mailing things correctly, what companies can be trusted to ensure the privacy of our health information?