FPF Says N.Y. Health Privacy Law Could Have Unintended Consequences
Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) warned New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) that a health data privacy bill the legislature approved could "create additional, and potentially unintended, privacy risks for individuals seeking to use health and wellness services in New York.”
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Privacy attorneys for businesses have raised concerns about possible problems if businesses must comply with the New York bill (S-929/A-2141) that lawmakers quickly passed last month (see 2501280023). The American Civil Liberties Union supports the bill, while the American Telemedicine Association and multiple advertising groups have asked Hochul to veto or seek changes to it.
“Health data is uniquely sensitive and should be subject to robust protections,” wrote FPF officials in a Friday letter that the group posted Monday. “However, as currently written, the Act diverges from established frameworks for the protection of consumer health data and may exacerbate privacy risks, inadvertently encourage greater data collection, and restrict low-risk data processing that can benefit individuals.”
FPF included a chart highlighting differences between the New York legislation and similar Washington state and Connecticut laws.