OBAMA ... AND YOU WANT OUR HEALTH RECORDS?
It has been my position for years that the United States lacks a clear and consistent policy with respect to the privacy and security of consumer information. In fact, it is most often the trusted gatekeepers of such information that are corrupt.
My plan is simple …
Any person who accesses and discloses non-public personal information for personal, professional or political gain does to jail for a mandatory period of at least ten years. If the person is a trusted employee of the government or one of its contractors, the penalty is doubled. If the person is a foreign national and the goal is related to espionage, the minimum penalty is twenty-five years; life is the information is related to weapon systems, compromises military actions or places the public at risk for a catastrophic event. Should American citizens lose their life as a result of the release of information, the death penalty should be an option.
Current stories in the news …
The SANS INSTITUTE notes …
“Pentagon Official Charged with Espionage Conspiracy (May 13 & 14, 2009)”
“Pentagon official has been charged with espionage conspiracy for allegedly leaking confidential documents to a Chinese government operative. James Wilbur Fondren Jr. has been on administrative leave from his job as Deputy Director, Washington Liaison Office, US Pacific Command (PACOM) since February 2008.”
“Fondren was allegedly able to access the sensitive information through his security clearance. If he is convicted of the charges against him, he could face five years in
prison and a fine of US $250,000.” <Department of Justice News Release>“Former FBI Agent Gets Probation for Unauthorized Data Access (May 14, 2009)
“Former FBI agent Mark Rossini was sentenced to one year of probation for using agency computers to search for information about a Hollywood wiretapping case in which he was not involved. Rossini admitted that he gave the information to a woman he was dating who then gave it to an attorney for Anthony Pellicano, a private investigator who is presently serving a 15-year sentence for wiretapping celebrities' phones for clients. Rossini pleaded guilty to five counts of criminal computer access late last year. He also faces fines amounting to US $5,000.” <Source>
The bigger picture …
What would keep an FBI agent from accessing your medical records if they could be used for blackmail, extortion or simply to assist a corrupt attorney and their investigator win a case? Why is this man not getting the same penalty as the person who employed him? Anthony Pelicano was a private citizen, but Mark Rossini was a Federal official in a position of public trust. This is an outrageously light sentence for essentially betraying his country’s trust for personal, commercial gain.
The Obama Administration is proposing a medical database which would be able to track your every move: every medical emergency, every doctor’s office visit, every prescription – and access all of the doctor’s notes and tests. This is big brother being able to control your life and freedoms through access to your personal information.
While we know we can’t trust politicians to keep classified data secret and we can’t keep medical people from selling medical records to the tabloids – what do we know about the safety and security of our personal medical information?
And the scariest part is that all of this information becomes instantly available to insurance agencies – for pricing life insurance, car insurance and even homeowner’s insurance. It also becomes available to the credit card agencies and financial institutions to assist in setting rates.
But worst of all, it could keep you from getting life-saving treatment based on your prior medical history and that of your family. Determining that you have less chance to survive with experimental treatment or super drugs than another citizen who will get your treatment based on a potentially better outcome. Think it can’t happen – check the news about healthcare delivery and rationing in both Canada and England.
But back to my main point: your information is not secure unless legislation requiring absolute privacy for personal medical information, funding the security initiative and quickly and efficiently punishing those who would breach your privacy.
-- steve
Reference Links:
Mayo Clinic backs Microsoft health records storage site, so what?
Mayo Clinic backs new personal health record site - washingtonpost.com
OBAMA STIMULUS: COMPROMISING YOUR HEALTH RECORDS FOR POLITICS AND PROFITS|OneCitizenSpeaking
Danger: The SINGLE most important key to protecting your health records! | One Citizen Speaking
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