USA: Insurer shared millions of patient data shared with Google, Microsoft, X.

The US healthcare company Kaiser Permanente wants to inform 13.4 million people affected by a data breach from May. Patient data was shared with Google, Microsoft and X (formerly Twitter) via online tracking codes. Tracking codes are often embedded in websites and apps, and the resulting data is used for analysis purposes. On April 12, the company informed the US government about the data leak. Kaiser has since removed the tracking code from its websites and mobile apps. This was reported by the US medium TechCrunch.

Possibly personal information to third-party providers

In a statement to TechCrunch, the company explained that an investigation had revealed that certain online technologies previously installed on its websites and mobile applications may have transferred personal information to third-party providers. According to the report, the data shared with advertisers may include member names and IP addresses. It could also reveal whether members were logged into a Kaiser Permanente account or service, their interactions with the websites, and the search terms they used.

The Kaiser Foundation Health Plan is the parent company of several facilities and one of the largest health care organizations in the United States. It offers health insurance for employers, for example. According to TechCrunch, the breach at Kaiser is listed as the largest confirmed health data breach of 2024 to date.

The US government, including the US Department of Health and Human Services and representatives of the healthcare sector, is currently investigating how "harm to patients and providers caused by cyberattacks can be mitigated." This emerged from communications from the US Department of Health and Human Services on April 12 and 19. The reason for the meetings was the cyberattack on the online platform "Change Healthcare". This may have affected the data of a "significant proportion of people in the USA", and transactions were also not possible. Many hospitals and healthcare providers were unable to bill for services due to the outages at Change Healthcare.

Attempts to minimize damage

In addition to the affected organization, the United Health Group (UHG), many associations, companies, and Kaiser Permanente also took part in the consultation. According to its information, UHG has well over 55 million customers in various sectors. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, vulnerable population groups, rural hospitals and smaller facilities in particular need support. This would require the government and private sector to continue to work together "to help providers meet payroll and deliver timely care to the American people," it says.

(mack)