Fergie's Tech Blog

Experts See Danger to Americans' Health Data

J. Scott Orr writes in The Star-Ledger:

The federal government is working to create a massive database of medical records with the aim of improving health care, but privacy experts worry it will be an inviting target for data thieves who want to steal your medical identity.

"The way this thing is being put together is pretty close to terrifying," said Adam Levin, co-founder of an online business (identitytheft911.com) that provides identity-theft education and resolution services to companies.

Identity theft threatens your bank account and credit rating, but medical identity theft -- a crime that is quietly spreading like a virus -- can result in your medical history being changed, putting at risk your insurance, your health and perhaps even your life.

"Any database can be compromised -- and unfortunately, as we have spent the past two years looking on, almost every database has been compromised in one manner or another," said Levin, a former New Jersey director of consumer affairs.

posted by Fergie @ 7/06/2007 12:27:00 PM