Realtime Community | IT Compliance

Smart Grid Privacy: Possible Privacy Standards To Address Concerns

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:42:04 -0500

Sorry to be so tardy in getting a blog post out. As many of you know I've been working with the NIST Smart Grid Privacy Subgroup since late June. The work done for this group is through time volunteered by all involved. As a quick recap, I led the privacy impact assessment (PIA) for the consumer-to-utility portion of the planned smart grid during the late June to late August/early September time frame. On Friday, 11/20, I provided an update on our NIST groups activities during the Gridwise Alliance phone conference; perhaps some of you were on that call? Here are some links showing information about our NIST Smart Grid privacy group's work:

15 Smart Grid Privacy Concerns + Other Smart Grid Thoughts

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:12:48 -0500

I've had about half a dozen folks ask me how things are going with the work I'm doing with the NIST Smart Grid privacy group, and if I could provide an update since my last couple of posts on the topic here and here. The time is going by much too quickly, and I am getting a bit nervous as we get closer to when we need to have the next draft of the NISTIR ready, tentatively set for December 31; there is so much more to do in this VOLUNTEER group effort...

HIPAA And Surveillance In Hospitals

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:29:30 -0500

Over the years there have been many...too many...instances where doctors have performed the wrong types of surgeries on patients, and even the wrong surgeries on completely wrong patients...

CEs and BAs: Be HIPAA/HITECH Compliant Or Pay A Hefty Penalty

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:05:48 -0500

The HHS released HITECH Act Enforcement Interim Final Rule today...

Smart Grid Privacy: Laws and Implications

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:07:10 -0500

I was recently asked several questions about my work with the NIST Smart Grid privacy group and associated issues. Here are a couple of those questions, and my answers to them...

6 Critical Factors for Effective Information Security & Privacy Policies

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:49:45 -0500

I've been feeling bad about not posting to my blog as often as I have historically...

Who Are Your Business Associates?

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:33:00 -0500

Since just before HIPAA went actively into effect I've done a lot of HIPAA compliance work for covered entities (CEs). In the past few years I've done around 200 business associate (BA) information security and program reviews for just one CE, and these don't even scratch the surface for how many BAs each CE has...

HIPAA/HITECH Etc. Retention: Does Your Reality = Your Requirements?

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:14:16 -0500

Last month I had the great pleasure of being a guest on Scott Draughon and Anyck Turgeon's MyTechnologyLawyer.com radio show for a segment entitled, "Is encryption enough to achieve privacy?" I was pleasantly surprised to see a large number of great follow-up questions following the show! I covered one of them in my post, "Don't Throw Your Privacy Out The Window; Know How Your PII Is Used" Here are a couple more of those many questions I want to answer in this post...

Proposed HIPAA Privacy Rule Change Explicitly Makes Genetic Info PHI

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:00:39 -0500

An important element of data protection compliance is knowing, identifying and inventorying the applicable information...

Privacy For The Deceased

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:43:02 -0500

Late last month I posted, "HIPAA/HITECH Breach Notice Rule: Applies To PHI of Deceased Individuals + Training A Key Element" and since then I've had around half a dozen or so folks ask me to write about privacy for the deceased...

10 Smart Grid Consumer-to-Utility Privacy Concerns; Are There More?

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:55:54 -0500

I have had the great opportunity to participate in the NIST Smart Grid privacy standards group since July...

Don't Throw Your Privacy Out The Window; Know How Your PII Is Used

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:38:53 -0500

A couple of week's ago I had the great opportunity and pleasure to speak with the both equally delightful and brilliant Anyck Turgeon and Scott Draughon on MyTechnologyLawyer.com about "Is encryption enough to achieve privacy?" The feedback and followup to that show was spectacular! I got a ton of questions as a result. I will answer some of them here in the coming days. Here is the first...

How To Do Privacy Impact Assessments

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:22:27 -0500

Last week I was very fortunate to be able to speak at the IAPP Privacy Academy in Boston...

What Happens To Privacy During Pandemics?

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:45:11 -0500

I am talking to increasing numbers of privacy and information security pros who are concerned about not only getting their pandemic plans in place, but also wanting to know what kinds of privacy issues need to be addressed within the plans.

Is Encryption Enough to Achieve Privacy?

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:58:58 -0500

Of course the answer is no. But there are many reasons! Tune in this afternoon at 4:00pm Pacific time to hear Anyck Turgeon, Scott Draughon and me discuss this topic and talk about encryption laws and the impacts to privacy. Here is the information about the event...