Academic claims to find sensitive medical info on peer-to-peer networks

WIRED, March 10, 2009

An academic says he found thousands of sensitive medical records leaked over peer-to-peer networks from computers at hospitals, clinics, and elsewhere. Eric Johnson, director of the Center for Digital Strategies at Dartmouth College, says he used simple search terms on several filesharing networks and uncovered files listing patient names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, insurance carrier names and insurance diagnosis codes that revealed which patients were being treated for specific diseases.