Vaccine distribution raises data concerns

[Chuxing]

Interesting reading:

Data concerns bedevil vaccine rollout

[CraginS]

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@Chuxing wrote:

Interesting reading:

Data concerns bedevil vaccine rollout

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What is interesting about it? Please give us a reason you think we would benefit from reading git?

Thanks!

Craig

[Chuxing]

@CraginS 

In a hurry to get the COVID19 vaccine out to the general public, and under very stressful medical and political environments, in order to fight one of the most serious challenges of mankind in recent years, people (government, companies, individuals) tend to forget that the process involves a significant risk of privacy.

This vaccine is far more outreaching than any recent other vaccine efforts, potentially will reach out to the majority of the world's populations.  On top of that, the process is very individualized as it has to trace the very individuals, not like flu vaccine, in order to follow the exact procedural steps for the boost shot. The data will be collected, managed, and incorporated into individuals' health records, by various entities, with an assumption (or not) that all parties involved will safe guard the data. 

I don't think it is too much and too early to ask the privacy and security questions now, right?

Hope this clarifies my view on this.

Best,

[tmekelburg1]

You could use the disclaimer below in a lot of situations lol. Sorry in advance folks, theoretically we should be good but you know how Systems can be.

"It might work great, but the technology hasn’t been proven yet. “When new systems roll out there are glitches,” says Hemi Tewarson, a senior policy fellow at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. “It’s just the nature of systems. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s just how it is.”

[Beads]

The article basically skims over any enforcement, data procurement and rights to owns any master database of vaccinated persons. Essentially if such a master database were compiled by either private industry or the US Government, privacy is likely to be compromised as nothing like this has ever been put to a nationwide test of recipients.

My conclusion is that the article was written by a layperson with a lay-audience in mind full of questions and conjecture but no real conclusions or facts.

Good starting points for discussion though.

- b/eads

[tmekelburg1]

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@Beads wrote:

My conclusion is that the article was written by a layperson with a lay-audience in mind full of questions and conjecture but no real conclusions or facts.

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"Some Politico Future Pulse newsletters might workout great, but the facts for this one haven't been properly researched yet. When Politico rolls out stories, there can be glitches," says me. "It's just the nature of the News today. It's nobody's fault. It's just how it is."

Sorry couldn't resist and I'm probably being unfair to pile on here! I did learn about the master federal database from the newsletter though. I just figured the information would be kept at the State level and reported up to the fed level. 

[Beads]

Rarely does information like this stay in its state or Federal "bubbles" be it FOIA requests or successful electronic burglary (aka "hacking"), i.e. the OPM theft. This information can be used both for and against those included in the database itself. I just don't want this thread to deep dive into how or could this information be used against those in the database itself.

This can a be tricky path to walk.

- b/eads

[tmekelburg1]

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@Beads wrote:

 I just don't want this thread to deep dive into how or could this information be used against those in the database itself.

This can a be tricky path to walk.

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I agree, it should be something to be aware of but shouldn't be considered a factor in someone's decision of getting the vaccine. I would consider it a 'Very Low' to 'Low' risk of your information being exposed in this database. I'm not making light of privacy or saying people shouldn't be concerned but It's more likely your information has already been exposed in another breach already. Mine was in the OPM breach and various others.