Data protection commissioners sound the alarm
The North Rhine-Westphalia State Commissioner for Data Protection, Bettina Gayk, has launched investigations into ten insurance companies. The allegation is that, together with around 30 other insurers, they unlawfully exchanged customers' personal data in travel health insurance among themselves in order to uncover fraud cases and identify fraud patterns. Sensitive information such as medical diagnoses and data on minors was shared via a closed e-mail distribution list to which several people in each company usually had access. As a result, insurers also had access to data without having any direct contact with the persons concerned. In addition, there were no adequate safeguards for the information and no measures to protect the rights of data subjects.
Gayk is particularly critical of the circumvention of the Hinweis- und Informationssystem (HIS – the industry's notification and information system), which has been established in the insurance sector for years and agreed with the data protection supervisory authorities. This system provides clear guidelines for exchanging information on potential fraud cases in compliance with data protection law. The unlawful data exchange has since been stopped, but the investigations have not yet been completed. If data protection breaches are found, the authorities can impose fines. More information on Procontra
What does this mean for you?
Your data could be affected.
In the event of a breach and corresponding rulings, price increases might be expected. The costs would certainly be passed on – at least in part. More on Procontra (click on the article)