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CIST Student Sandbox

IST 560: [Cybersecurity group]

This is a resource guide to federal information policy created by students in IST 560: Information & Public Policy, Spring 2024

Objectives

  1. To provide a comprehensive overview of health information policy, laws and regulations.
  2. To analyze how the overturn of Roe v. Wade holds serious implications on women’s health and reproductive rights.
  3. To educate the public on data privacy and identify best practices.

Defining Health Information

What is health information?

Information is meaningful data. Only once information is collected, stored and analyzed does it become data. Health Information Technology involves storing, processing and exchanging data in an electronic environment (HHS, 2022).   

Common examples of health information technology includes:

  • Electronic Health Records (EHR): a patient’s electronic version of their medical history
  • Telehealth: HHS defines telehealth as technology or electronic information used to support or promote healthcare, health related information, public health and health administration.
  • Health Apps: Health and wellness apps geared toward individuals in an attempt to manage their lifestyle.
  • Connected Devices: Devices that connect through the internet such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, heart rate monitors.

Health Apps

There are a variety of different healthcare apps on the market. Below are just a few examples  of popular healthcare apps. These apps are collecting and analyzing the data collected. Flo and Clue are period tracking apps that can be utilized to show if a user is pregnant. Additionally, data like weight, activity, heart rate and sleep data - commonly  collected by Fitbit can likewise be analyzed to show if a user is pregnant (Huq & Wexler, 2022).

 

Digital Privacy Concerns

  • Sensitive health data is being collected.

  • Maintaining confidentiality and protecting patient privacy.

  • Allowing access to authorized individuals.

  • Ensuring integrity of health information is maintained.

Physical Privacy

When it comes to health information, in addition to digital privacy concerns, there are also physical privacy concerns. Flo and Clue are two apps that have been targeted by anti-abortion activists. As a result, health information has a tremendous impact on women’s reproductive rights. Back in 1973, Roe v. Wade (1973) decriminalized abortion nationwide. In 2022, Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization (2022) overturned Roe v. Wade, giving states the right to set abortion regulations.

References

Coventry, L., & Branley, D. (2018). Cybersecurity in healthcare: A narrative review of trends, threats and ways forward. Maturitas, 113, 48–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.04.008

Huq, A., & Wexler, R. (2022, June 1). Big tech can help women in a post-roe world. will it? The Washington Post. 

Perspective | Big Tech can help women in a post-Roe world. Will it? (2022, May 31). Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/06/01/roe-dobbs-big-tech/

The Impact of the Post-Dobbs Criminalization of Abortion on the Cybersecurity Ecosystem in the United States – N.Y.U. Journal of Legislation & Public Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2024, from https://nyujlpp.org/quorum/saber-cybersecurity-post-dobbs/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022, December 23). Health Information Technology. HHS.gov. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/health-information-technology/index.html