New Rule Promotes Patient Access But Raises Privacy Concern

15 09 2020
EPIC
March 9, 2020
The Department of Health and Human Services finalized rules that require insurance and healthcare companies to provide patient access to their medical data in a format suitable for cellphones and other electronic devices. However, federal privacy protections under HIPAA no longer apply once patients transfer their data to consumer apps, creating serious risks to medical privacy. The CEO of the American Medical Association warned regulators that “These practices jeopardize patient privacy, commoditize an individual’s most sensitive information, and threaten patient willingness to utilize technology to manage their health.” Tech firms pushed for these changes. Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google’s ‘Project Nightingale’ intends to amass health data on millions of Americans. There will be a six-month period before the rule goes into effect.

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<https://epic.org/2020/03/new-rule-promotes-patient-acce.html>

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“A Big Victory for Privacy Groups” – Facebook Settlement

14 09 2020
EPIC
January 30, 2020
This week Facebook agreed to pay $550 million to settle a lawsuit about the use of facial recognition technology. The New York Times called the settlement “A Big Victory for Privacy Groups.”

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<https://epic.org/2020/01/a-big-victory-for-privacy-grou.html>

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Amazon Claims ‘Halo’ Device Will Monitor User’s Voice for ‘Emotional Well-Being’

10 09 2020
EPIC
September 1, 2020
Despite the exceptional privacy risks of biometric data collection and opaque, unproven algorithms, Amazon last week unveiled Halo, a wearable device that purports to measure “tone” and “emotional well-being” based on a user’s voice. According to Amazon, the device “uses machine learning to analyze energy and positivity in a customer’s voice so they can better understand how they may sound to others[.]” The device also monitors physical activity, assigns a sleep score, and can scan a user’s body to estimate body fat percentage and weight. In recent years, Amazon has come under fire for its development of biased and inaccurate facial surveillance tools, its marketing of home surveillance camera Ring, and its controversial partnerships with law enforcement agencies. Last year, EPIC filed a Federal Trade Commission complaint against Hirevue, an AI hiring tool that claims to evaluate “cognitive ability,” “psychological traits,” and “emotional intelligence” based on videos of job candidates. EPIC has long advocated for algorithmic transparency and the adoption of the Universal Guidelines for AI.

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How Americans see digital privacy issues amid the COVID-19 outbreak

1 09 2020

PEW Research Center
Brooke Auxier 
May 4, 2020

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has brought privacy and surveillance concerns to the forefront – from hacked video conferencing sessions to proposed government tracking of people’s cellphones as a measure to limit and prevent the spread of the virus. Over the past year, Pew Research Center has surveyed Americans on their views related to privacy, personal data and digital surveillance.

Here are 10 key findings that stand out.

more

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<https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/05/04/how-americans-see-digital-privacy-issues-amid-the-covid-19-outbreak/>

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Amazon’s creepy new health wearable analyzes your voice and your body

28 08 2020

Washington Post
Geoffrey A. Fowler
August 27, 2020

I couldn’t pick just one crazy thing to say about the Halo, Amazon’s new wearable health gadget. So here are three:

Mirror, mirror on the wall, Amazon thinks you’re fat.

The artificial intelligence would like you to stop sounding overwhelmed now.

That nagging voice inside your head is now on your wrist.

The Halo is a $100 wrist-worn device that, among other functions, listens to your conversations so you can understand how you sound to others. And it comes with a companion app that scans your body three-dimensionally to track your progress gaining your “quarantine 15.”

Amazon is upfront about these invasive functions, which users of the Halo have to opt into using. What’s revealing is that one of tech’s biggest companies thinks consumers in 2020 might want them.

more

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/08/27/amazon-halo-wearable/

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Before we use digital contact tracing, we must weigh the costs

20 08 2020

Washington Post
Editorial Board
May 1, 2020

THE PING of a smartphone usually means a text from a friend or a news story from a favorite publication. Soon enough, it could instead signal that it’s time to stay inside for 14 days. Technologists are coding furiously to create a plan for digital contact tracing that, paired with traditional manual methods and widespread testing capability, could ease the country out of lockdowns. But before the United States bets on Silicon Valley to solve its problems, leaders ought to ask themselves two questions: How well does it work, and how high is the cost?

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tech-firms-must-prove-that-digital-contact-tracing-is-worth-the-privacy-intrusion/2020/05/01/cbf19b8e-7dc7-11ea-9040-68981f488eed_story.html

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Some Illinois Facebook users could get $300 under massive biometric privacy settlement

20 08 2020

Chicago Tribune
Ally Marotti
May 14, 2020

Illinois Facebook users could soon learn if they’re eligible for up to $300 as part of a class-action settlement alleging the social media giant violated state privacy law with its facial tagging feature.

Attorneys representing users filed court documents last week showing class members are estimated to receive between $150 and $300 as part of a massive $550 million settlement reached in January. There is no timeline set on notification or payout, and a federal judge in San Francisco must approve the details.

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https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-facebook-biometric-privacy-class-action-settlement-20200514-b53gxxmyhfezzl7hlh32777dlq-story.html

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EPIC Obtains North Dakota Contact Tracing App Contract; App Goes Against Privacy Policy and Sends Data to Third Parties

19 08 2020
Epic
May 26, 2020

Through a government records request EPIC has obtained the contract between North Dakota and ProudCrowd, LLC for the Care19 contact tracing app launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-year software license agreement between ProudCrowd and North Dakota provides the state use of the contact tracing app and use of server space. According to the state, the Care19 app generates a random ID number for each user when it is tracking users’ movements. North Dakota’s privacy policy states that the location data is kept private (not sent to third parties) and stored securely on ProudCrowd servers. The state has not explained why it would store private health data on a storage system not controlled by the government. But a recent report indicates that the Care19 app sends location data and a unique user identifier to Foursquare and a software bug tracking company called Bugfender. The app also sends the phone’s advertising ID to Google. ProudCrowd states that it will update the app and its privacy policies in the future. EPIC has told Congress that private companies must establish privacy safeguards for digital contact tracing.

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https://epic.org/2020/05/epic-obtains-north-dakota-cont.html

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Coronavirus data-sharing with law enforcement rings alarm bells

18 08 2020

LAT/AP
May 19, 2020

NASHVILLE — 

“Public health officials in at least two-thirds of U.S. states are sharing the addresses of people who have the coronavirus with first responders, sparking concerns of racial profiling in communities already mistrustful of law enforcement.

An Associated Press review of those states found that at least 10 of them also share the names of everyone who tests positive.”

more

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https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-05-19/coronavirus-data-sharing-law-enforcement-sparks-concern

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Boston City Council Votes to Ban Facial Recognition

18 08 2020
Epic
June 24, 2020
 
Yesterday, the Boston City Council voted unanimously to ban the use of facial recognition technology by the city of Boston. The ordinance noted the “racial bias in face surveillance” and makes it illegal for the city of Boston to “obtain, retain, possess, access, or use any face surveillance system.” Several municipalities in Massachusetts have already banned the use of facial recognition. EPIC previously testified before the Massachusetts Legislature in support of a bill to establish a moratorium on the use of facial recognition by state agencies. EPIC has launched a campaign to Ban Face Surveillance and through the Public Voice coalition gathered the support of over 100 organizations and many leading experts across 30 plus countries. An EPIC-led coalition has also called on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to recommend the suspension of face surveillance systems across the federal government.

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https://epic.org/2020/06/boston-city-council-votes-to-b.html

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