Internet of Things

Jun 22 2015

WPF files comments on wellness programs and privacy: urges EEOC to address privacy challenges

The World Privacy Forum filed comments with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about wellness programs and related privacy impacts to individuals. Many Americans now take part in employer wellness programs, and they are increasingly and justifiably concerned about the sensitive information these programs are gathering, sometimes in return for incentives such as discounts on pricing for health insurance. These comments to the EEOC address some of the most significant challenges individuals face, including voluntariness, fairness, due process, and information sharing outside of HIPAA.

Apr 10 2015

Video: Healthy Cities Project in China — 20 million health records in the cloud (CES 2015, interview)

The Healthy Cities Project in China is one where mobile devices, mobile health mini-hubs, and sensors are the key way that patients, doctors, government, and enterprises can input, monitor, and access vital health statistics and other information in the cloud. Twenty million people already use this system. Healthy Cities is important for study, because it is a fully established infrastructure in those cities in China where it has been deployed. In the US, the Healthy Cities project is being studied by academics to see how it could be replicated in the US marketplace.

Jan 05 2015

Events: World Privacy Forum at Consumer Electronics Show

WPF is attending the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. We’re focusing on privacy and health and fitness technology, smart home tech/Internet of Things, and education and kid tech. Throughout the week we will be bringing you a stream of thoughts, images, and short videos via our Twitter and Instagram feeds. After the show, we will

National IDs Around the World — Interactive map

About this Data Visualization: This interactive map displays the presence...
Report: From the Filing Cabinet to the Cloud: Updating the Privacy Act of 1974

This comprehensive report and proposed bill text is focused on the Privacy Act of 1974, an important and early Federal privacy law that applies to the government sector and some contractors. The Privacy Act was written for the 1970s information era -- an era that was characterized by the use of mainframe computers and filing cabinets. Today's digital information era looks much different than the '70s: smart phones are smarter than the old mainframes, and documents are now routinely digitized and stored and perhaps even analyzed in the cloud, among many other changes. The report focuses on why the Privacy Act needs an update that will bring it into this century, and how that could look and work. This work was written by Robert Gellman, and informed by a two-year multi-stakeholder process.
COVID-19 and HIPAA: HHS’s Troubled Approach to Waiving Privacy and Security Rules for the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic strained the U.S. health ecosystem in numerous ways, including putting pressure on the HIPAA privacy and security rules. The Department of Health and Human Services adjusted the privacy and security rules for the pandemic through the use of statutory and administrative HIPAA waivers. While some of the adjustments are appropriate for the emergency circumstances, there are also some meaningful and potentially unwelcome privacy and security consequences. At an appropriate time, the use of HIPAA waivers as a response to health care emergencies needs a thorough review. This report sets out the facts, identifies the issues, and proposes a roadmap for change.