Thursday, July 27, 2006

Kaiser Permanente Joins Lost Laptop Crowd

Ryan Singel writes on 27B Stroke 6:

Kaiser Permanente mailed letters this week to 160,000 of its Northern California-based HMO subscribers, informing them that a laptop containing their personal information, including their phone numbers and Kaiser numbers, had been stolen.

The data was being used to market Hearing Aid Services to 160,000 Health Plan members in Northern California, though the person who tipped Wired News to the story has no history of hearing problems.

No social security numbers were on the laptop, which was stolen sometime in late June from a "secure office" in the Permanente Medical Group Business Development Group, according to a Kaiser spokeswoman and a member represent answering a toll free number for Kaiser members.

The letter suggested that the risk may be limited, as the laptop required a user name and password, but made no mention of encryption.

More here.

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