In Singapore, the confidential medical data of 14,200 patients were stolen and published online. This is the city’s second major IT breach in a matter of months[1].
In its press release, the ministry explains that, “confidential information relating to 14,200 individuals diagnosed with HIV up to 2013 and the details of 2,400 of their contacts have fallen into the hands of an unauthorised person”, apologising to patients for “the anxiety and distress” suffered by the victims. The disclosure concerns “names, identification numbers, phone numbers, addresses, HIV test results and medical information
” , and affects both Singaporeans and foreigners.
The culprit is Mikhy K. Farrera Brochez, an American who lived in Singapore from 2008 to 2016. In a relationship with Singaporean doctor Ler Teck Siang at that time, Brochez made use of the doctor’s professional access to the HIV database. The doctor was sentenced in September to two years in prison “for assisting his partner in criminal activities”.
For further reading:
Towards a proprietary law for private digital data?
From digital health record to health research: what happens to our data?
[1] In Singapore, hackers steal the health data of 1.5 million people
Le Quotidien du Médecin (29-01-2019) – À Singapour, les données de 14 200 porteurs du VIH volées et publiées