The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Developments in privacy law and writings of a Canadian privacy lawyer, containing information related to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (aka PIPEDA) and other Canadian and international laws.

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The author of this blog, David T.S. Fraser, is a Canadian privacy lawyer who practices with the firm of McInnes Cooper. He is the author of the Physicians' Privacy Manual. He has a national and international practice advising corporations and individuals on matters related to Canadian privacy laws.

For full contact information and a brief bio, please see David's profile.

Please note that I am only able to provide legal advice to clients. I am not able to provide free legal advice. Any unsolicited information sent to David Fraser cannot be considered to be solicitor-client privileged.

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The views expressed herein are solely the author's and should not be attributed to his employer or clients. Any postings on legal issues are provided as a public service, and do not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained herein or linked to. Nothing herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.

This web site is presented for informational purposes only. These materials do not constitute legal advice and do not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and David T.S. Fraser. If you are seeking specific advice related to Canadian privacy law or PIPEDA, contact the author, David T.S. Fraser.

Monday, July 18, 2005

"Dr. Busybody's" diabetic database

The New York Post isn't too keen on the proposed New York registry of diabetics (see The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: City Officials Aim to Track How Diabetics Manage Illness):

DR. BUSYBODY'S DATABASE - Yahoo! News:
"... Name-specific registries for certain communicable diseases - such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis - make sense.
The early-20th century Typhoid Mary demonstrated the need for public-health authorities to prevent individuals from spreading highly contagious diseases.
Diabetes doesn't fall into that category.
This would be the first time that a complete record would be assembled for a non-communicable, chronic affliction.
As far as privacy goes, Frieden notes that the confidentiality of the department's registries haven't been compromised in more than 140 years.
That anybody knows about, of course.
Indeed, the potential of large private databases being compromised by hackers and criminals is sharper than it's ever been - as demonstrated by the recent cases involving MasterCard and the ChoicePoint identification-and-verification service. And health-insurance companies and potential employers would have no interest in Frieden's database? Yeah, right.
It's time for New Yorkers to say enough is enough.
And if all this information depresses you, and drives you to drink? Well, expect a visit from Dr. Frieden presently.
He'll be there to help."

Labels: choicepoint, health information, information breaches