It contrast to demagoguery over the location of mosques and Muslim community centers, which apparently will never go away, the right to privacy of medical records could indeed go away. And, to make matters worse, when it comes to privacy of electronic data, once it is gone, it is gone. We have been working for a number of years here in Maine to make sure that the move to electronic health records includes appropriate protections for sensitive health information--the kinds of things that we all hope will stay between us and our doctors--and to make sure that patients aren't discriminated against if they choose to keep their records out of the electronic records system. There are two parts to this advocacy: maintaining existing privacy protections and creating new laws to respond to new technological challenges to privacy. An article in today's New York Times discusses some of the work happening at the national level. A lawyer friend of mine advises her clients not to send anything over email that they would not want to see reprinted on a billboard. Most of us would probably feel uncomfortable knowing that our medical history was printed on a twenty-foot high sign on the side of the highway.
Stay Informed
Sign up to be the first to hear about how to take action.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.