Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - November 27, 2007
A government investigation revealed 1,420 computer files were available over the Internet for between eight to 10 hours last Tuesday, and 375 were accessed over the Internet by someone.
The province believes information belonging to 49 people could have been accessed, such as names, health insurance numbers, health providers and test results for infectious diseases.
"We don't how often they were accessed or by whom," Newfoundland and Labrador Justice Minister Jerome Kennedy said.
He said the breach happened when a contract Health Department consultant took a government computer home and failed to close a file-sharing program.
Kennedy said New York-based Tony Josephs and Sons Investigations, a security consulting company, caught the breach. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary investigated the company and determined no crime was committed.
Two of the 49 people are deceased, and in the end, the province decided it will contact 35 people.
"There is sufficient information now that their medical privacy has been breached, and they are the ones who should be notified," Kennedy said.
New Democratic Party Leader Lorraine Michael wants the province to hold an inquiry into the Health Department's information system.
"For me, the major thing that has gone wrong is that an individual- whether a consultant or not-was able to take home very sensitive material on a computer and use that material in an unsecured way," she said. "To me, it begs the question: who monitors what is happening?"
Health Minister Ross Wiseman rejected calls for comment.
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