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Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has ordered an urgent review of Australia's biggest online doctor booking searching HealthEngine which has given hundreds of user's medical information to lawyers. This is how ambulance chasing works in the 21st century. No need to chase actual ambulances, just scan the medical records of people looking for clients. HealthEngine is partially owned by Telstra, which may explain this behaviour.
Prominent law firm Slater and Gordon confirmed that HealthEngine passed a list of potential clients to them on a daily basis averaging 200 per month which netted them at least $500,000 in legal fees. The app collects data such as whether or not the medical problem was a workplace injury making it easy to target potential clients for the lawyers to chase. The privacy policy for the app makes no mention of sharing the information with third parties for marketing purposes. While there is a collection notice, this information is not readily obvious to users many of whom are unaware that their private data is being sent on to other companies.
[...] HealthEngine and Slater and Gordon both declined interview requests and did not respond directly to questions.
HealthEngine said in a statement the company used advertising to "deliver relevant and timely information from our many different advertising partners to our users."
(Score: 2) by BsAtHome on Wednesday July 18 2018, @02:48PM (2 children)
Well, this is how the predator finds the pray. Or, in other words, the pray has not yet adapted to the predator's change. Let the next arms race begin? If we cannot see it this way, then we must recognize that people are stupid and not fit for the internet. In any case, evolutionary rules say that they must adapt or die out.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday July 18 2018, @04:22PM
They should not die out. That would limit future opportunities for other predators / scammers.
Instead, the prey should pray that they don't become prey while the predators pray that they can catch the prey.
Why should victims have to adapt to scammers? Don't we already pass laws protecting people from criminals? We just need to keep adapting law enforcement to keep up with the new tactics of the criminals.
(but that is government regulation! someone will cry personal responsibility! Or understanding your contract in advance of your interaction with the criminal.)
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 1) by Vokbain on Wednesday July 18 2018, @06:31PM
I pray that the predator doesn't get me.