Source: The Hill
https://thehill.com/policy/
Critics are sounding the alarm over new rules introduced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week to give Americans more control over their health data.They warn that while more access to health data for patients and small, consumer-focused companies, could be hugely beneficial, there are not enough protections in the rules to safeguard sensitive information or stop big tech companies from acquiring the data.
The two new rules were issued by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)…
While the new rules announced by the HHS this week offer new opportunities for innovation and patient mobility, the nature of health-care data is enough to cause concern, Peterson-Cassin said. “This data is extremely sensitive, without limitations on where it could go, it will go to any place it legally can.”
Tags Microsoft Apple Google HHS CMS health data Privacy
Sample tag RSS feed https://thehill.com/taxonomy/
Source: Help Net Security
https://www.helpnetsecurity.
Here’s an overview of some of last week’s most interesting (21) news, articles and podcasts…
Source: Pennsylvania Capital-Star
https://www.penncapital-star.
In Connecticut, information technology officials have asked the state’s emergency management department to spread the word about phishing scams related to coronavirus, Chief Information Officer Mark Raymond said.
And in Virginia, state IT workers are flagging keywords in emails related to coronavirus that are coming from outside parties that could be phishing attacks, Chief Information Security Officer Michael Watson said.
“A lot of these malicious parties are trying to play on your fears and have you make a rash decision,” Watson said. “They’re saying that there is some immediate action you’re going to have to take to protect your own life and safety.”
Attacks Growing
Criminals often prey on people during natural disasters or crises, exploiting uncertainty and fear. But the difference with coronavirus, cyber experts say, is that the information is constantly changing, and new warnings are expected to be issued for weeks — or even months.
Scammers already are selling bogus products online, offering vaccines they claim will cure the virus or asking for donations for victims, the Federal Trade Commission has warned.
Source: Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.
The immigration agency’s New York office tweaked risk-evaluation software to keep thousands in jail, watchdog groups say.
It is the job of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to determine — case by case — whether people arrested for immigration offenses ought to be detained, released on bond or just trusted to show up in court. For years, ICE has used an algorithm to help make this decision, one that weighs factors such as ties to the community, criminal history and past or present substance abuse.
But something remarkable happened in ICE’s New York field office not long after President Trump came into office: Even though, from 2013 into 2017, the algorithm had recommended about 47 percent of arrestees be released, after June 2017, the number plummeted to about 3 percent…
When the government turns to automated decision-making, transparency all too often falls by the wayside. Critics have frequently pointed out that algorithms can be biased and faulty — but so can human decision-makers. However, the opacity of decisions made by software presents a unique set of difficulties. It is not just that algorithms can, as appears to be the case here, systematically lead to unjustified outcomes. It is also that victims of the system and watchdog groups often have no way of knowing why and how the decisions are made, which forecloses accountability…
Source: The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/
Investors and clients of the facial recognition start-up freely used the app on dates and at parties — and to spy on the public.
Clearview was unknown to the general public until this January, when The New York Times reported that the secretive start-up had developed a breakthrough facial recognition system that was in use by hundreds of law enforcement agencies. The company quickly faced a backlash on multiple fronts. Facebook, Google and other tech giants sent cease-and-desist letters. Lawsuits were filed in Illinois and Virginia, and the attorney general of New Jersey issued a moratorium against the app in that state.
In response to the criticism, Clearview published a “code of conduct,” emphasizing in a blog post that its technology was “available only for law enforcement agencies and select security professionals to use as an investigative tool.”
BuzzFeed News has reported that two other entities, a labor union and a real estate firm, also ran trials with a surveillance system developed by Clearview to flag individuals they deemed risky. The publication also reported that Clearview’s software has been used by Best Buy, Macy’s, Kohl’s, the National Basketball Association and numerous other organizations.
…
filed https://www.nytimes.com/
RSS https://www.nytimes.com/svc/
https:/
Source: ZDNet
https://www.zdnet.com/article/
The coronavirus is forcing enterprises to rethink the way they do business and dust off policies for security, business continuity, and remote workers. Chances are that some of these efforts will stick.
But in the grand scheme of things, the coronavirus scare may just accelerate changes in work already in play. Collaboration has relied more on video. Travel bans may retool sales and marketing practices as companies realize maybe those cross-country flights for drinks and dinner don’t deliver economic returns. And if most of the workforce can work from home without productivity loss, it’s going to be hard to justify commercial real estate costs.
Simply put, the coronavirus scare may just show us a better way to work. How enterprises navigate the coronavirus and changes to work will be telling. One thing is certain: The coronavirus is likely to mean the definition of business, as usual, will change.
…
see also: https://www.zdnet.com/article/
Coronavirus Updates:
- Latest News from the CDC
- Critical IT policies and tools every business needs (TechRepublic)
- Social networks vow to fight COVID-19 misinformation
- Roundup: Cyber-security during the pandemic
- Amazon to hire 100,000 employees
- Working from home: Your common challenges
- Microsoft launches COVID-19 tracker
- ISPs sign FCC pledge to support connectivity during outbreak
- 64 expert tips for working from home
- List: Conference cancellations and travel bans
- 8 tips for managing telecommuters
- Is that product safe? The real risks
- Accelerating the future of work
- Dashboard delivers real-time view of virus
- At Starbucks, I saw a chilly, post-COVID-19 future
Source: NYT via beSpacific
https://www.bespacific.com/
The New York Times: “…But if there is a silver lining in this crisis, it may be that the virus is forcing us to use the internet as it was always meant to be used — to connect with one another, share information and resources, and come up with collective solutions to urgent problems. It’s the healthy, humane version of digital culture we usually see only in schmaltzy TV commercials, where everyone is constantly using a smartphone to visit far-flung grandparents and read bedtime stories to kids. Already, social media seems to have improved, with more reliable information than might have been expected from a global pandemic. And while the ways we’re substituting for in-person interaction aren’t perfect — over the next few months in America, there may be no phrase uttered more than “Can someone mute?” — we are seeing an explosion of creativity as people try to use technology as a bridge across physical distances…”
beSpacific Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Social Media
Subject: Letter Carriers Say the Postal Service Pressured Them to Deliver Mail Despite Coronavirus Symptoms — and Often Without Hand Sanitizer
Source: Propublica
https://www.propublica.org/
“When you look at the mathematics of one postal worker handling hundreds of people’s mail on a daily, continuous basis, the sheer probability increases dramatically,” said Jack Caravanos, clinical professor of environmental public health science at New York University. “You’re contaminating the envelope and presenting a situation where transmission is very likely.”
…
Filed under – Health Care
Source: Help Net Security
https://www.helpnetsecurity.
Here’s an overview of some of last week’s most interesting (21) news, articles and podcasts…
Source: Pennsylvania Capital-Star
https://www.penncapital-star.
In Connecticut, information technology officials have asked the state’s emergency management department to spread the word about phishing scams related to coronavirus, Chief Information Officer Mark Raymond said.
And in Virginia, state IT workers are flagging keywords in emails related to coronavirus that are coming from outside parties that could be phishing attacks, Chief Information Security Officer Michael Watson said.
“A lot of these malicious parties are trying to play on your fears and have you make a rash decision,” Watson said. “They’re saying that there is some immediate action you’re going to have to take to protect your own life and safety.”
Attacks Growing
Criminals often prey on people during natural disasters or crises, exploiting uncertainty and fear. But the difference with coronavirus, cyber experts say, is that the information is constantly changing, and new warnings are expected to be issued for weeks — or even months.
Scammers already are selling bogus products online, offering vaccines they claim will cure the virus or asking for donations for victims, the Federal Trade Commission has warned.
Source: Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.
The immigration agency’s New York office tweaked risk-evaluation software to keep thousands in jail, watchdog groups say.
It is the job of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to determine — case by case — whether people arrested for immigration offenses ought to be detained, released on bond or just trusted to show up in court. For years, ICE has used an algorithm to help make this decision, one that weighs factors such as ties to the community, criminal history and past or present substance abuse.
But something remarkable happened in ICE’s New York field office not long after President Trump came into office: Even though, from 2013 into 2017, the algorithm had recommended about 47 percent of arrestees be released, after June 2017, the number plummeted to about 3 percent….
When the government turns to automated decision-making, transparency all too often falls by the wayside. Critics have frequently pointed out that algorithms can be biased and faulty — but so can human decision-makers. However, the opacity of decisions made by software presents a unique set of difficulties. It is not just that algorithms can, as appears to be the case here, systematically lead to unjustified outcomes. It is also that victims of the system and watchdog groups often have no way of knowing why and how the decisions are made, which forecloses accountability….
Source: The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/
Investors and clients of the facial recognition start-up freely used the app on dates and at parties — and to spy on the public.
Clearview was unknown to the general public until this January, when The New York Times reported that the secretive start-up had developed a breakthrough facial recognition system that was in use by hundreds of law enforcement agencies. The company quickly faced a backlash on multiple fronts. Facebook, Google and other tech giants sent cease-and-desist letters. Lawsuits were filed in Illinois and Virginia, and the attorney general of New Jersey issued a moratorium against the app in that state.
In response to the criticism, Clearview published a “code of conduct,” emphasizing in a blog post that its technology was “available only for law enforcement agencies and select security professionals to use as an investigative tool.”
BuzzFeed News has reported that two other entities, a labor union and a real estate firm, also ran trials with a surveillance system developed by Clearview to flag individuals they deemed risky. The publication also reported that Clearview’s software has been used by Best Buy, Macy’s, Kohl’s, the National Basketball Association and numerous other organizations.
…
filed https://www.nytimes.com/
Source: ZDNet
https://www.zdnet.com/article/
The coronavirus is forcing enterprises to rethink the way they do business and dust off policies for security, business continuity, and remote workers. Chances are that some of these efforts will stick.
But in the grand scheme of things, the coronavirus scare may just accelerate changes in work already in play. Collaboration has relied more on video. Travel bans may retool sales and marketing practices as companies realize maybe those cross-country flights for drinks and dinner don’t deliver economic returns. And if most of the workforce can work from home without productivity loss, it’s going to be hard to justify commercial real estate costs.
Simply put, the coronavirus scare may just show us a better way to work. How enterprises navigate the coronavirus and changes to work will be telling. One thing is certain: The coronavirus is likely to mean the definition of business, as usual, will change.
…
see also: https://www.zdnet.com/article/
Coronavirus Updates
- Latest News from the CDC
- Critical IT policies and tools every business needs (TechRepublic)
- Social networks vow to fight COVID-19 misinformation
- Roundup: Cyber-security during the pandemic
- Amazon to hire 100,000 employees
- Working from home: Your common challenges
- Microsoft launches COVID-19 tracker
- ISPs sign FCC pledge to support connectivity during outbreak
- 64 expert tips for working from home
- List: Conference cancellations and travel bans
- 8 tips for managing telecommuters
- Is that product safe? The real risks
- Accelerating the future of work
- Dashboard delivers real-time view of virus
- At Starbucks, I saw a chilly, post-COVID-19 future
Source: NYT via beSpacific
https://www.bespacific.com/
The New York Times: “…But if there is a silver lining in this crisis, it may be that the virus is forcing us to use the internet as it was always meant to be used — to connect with one another, share information and resources, and come up with collective solutions to urgent problems. It’s the healthy, humane version of digital culture we usually see only in schmaltzy TV commercials, where everyone is constantly using a smartphone to visit far-flung grandparents and read bedtime stories to kids. Already, social media seems to have improved, with more reliable information than might have been expected from a global pandemic. And while the ways we’re substituting for in-person interaction aren’t perfect — over the next few months in America, there may be no phrase uttered more than “Can someone mute?” — we are seeing an explosion of creativity as people try to use technology as a bridge across physical distances…
beSpacific Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Social Media
Subject: Letter Carriers Say the Postal Service Pressured Them to Deliver Mail Despite Coronavirus Symptoms — and Often Without Hand Sanitizer
Source: Propublica
https://www.propublica.org/
“When you look at the mathematics of one postal worker handling hundreds of people’s mail on a daily, continuous basis, the sheer probability increases dramatically,” said Jack Caravanos, clinical professor of environmental public health science at New York University. “You’re contaminating the envelope and presenting a situation where transmission is very likely.”
…
Filed under:
Subject: Scammers use robocalls to falsely offer free coronavirus test kits and low-priced health insurance
Source: CNNPolitics KFile
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/
CNN’s KFile listened to and reviewed data of coronavirus robocalls provided by the protection app NoMoRobo and found more than 60 different phone numbers falsely claiming to have free coronavirus test kits or advertising health insurance.
Another kind of robocall, sponsored by the Support American Leaders PAC, uses a recording of President Donald Trump and asks callers to sign a petition to ban flights from China. The group is not affiliated with Trump and, unlike most other super PACs, doesn’t raise money for advertisements to support Trump, either. It mostly raises funds to pay for more robocalls, which are used to raise more funds, with the owner of the group pocketing the difference. The PAC did not respond to CNN requests for comment.
According to Foss, the scam works like this: Criminal robocallers blast out millions of automated calls using “gateway carriers,” which accept foreign call traffic and direct it to US consumers. Once a person accepts the phone call, they hear a pre-recorded message regarding the coronavirus that can go like this:
…
Other KFile articles:
https://www.cnn.com/specials/
Subject: Scammers use robocalls to falsely offer free coronavirus test kits and low-priced health insurance
Source: CNNPolitics KFile
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/
CNN’s KFile listened to and reviewed data of coronavirus robocalls provided by the protection app NoMoRobo and found more than 60 different phone numbers falsely claiming to have free coronavirus test kits or advertising health insurance.
Another kind of robocall, sponsored by the Support American Leaders PAC, uses a recording of President Donald Trump and asks callers to sign a petition to ban flights from China. The group is not affiliated with Trump and, unlike most other super PACs, doesn’t raise money for advertisements to support Trump, either. It mostly raises funds to pay for more robocalls, which are used to raise more funds, with the owner of the group pocketing the difference. The PAC did not respond to CNN requests for comment.
According to Foss, the scam works like this: Criminal robocallers blast out millions of automated calls using “gateway carriers,” which accept foreign call traffic and direct it to US consumers. Once a person accepts the phone call, they hear a pre-recorded message regarding the coronavirus that can go like this:
…
Other KFile articles:
https://www.cnn.com/specials/