UNDERSTANDING HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act establishes national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other individually identifiable health information. It requires appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of protected health information and sets limits and conditions on the uses and disclosures that may be made of such information without an individual’s authorization.
This deterrent explains why it can be so difficult to get even your own information from a doctor’s office, let alone share it with other people. The reality is, however, that HIPAA is limited in scope to healthcare providers and their vendors. And, even for those covered entities, HIPAA permits law enforcement officials to gain access to protected information without a patient’s permission.
LIMITED PRIVACY WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT GETS INVOLVED
Once law enforcement officials have a search warrant, subpoena, or other legal documents to back up their efforts, however, nothing more can legally prevent their actions. In a criminal investigation by law enforcement, officials are allowed to collect evidence without a patient’s permission. Extending beyond medical records, that could indict information garnered from fertility apps, website searches, or even text messages. Suddenly, valid concerns about one’s privacy get taken to a whole new level – especially now as midterm elections loom. Determine your state laws and future measures laid out on your ballot this election season.
We can now connect Roe v. Wade to the broader problems surrounding consumer data, privacy, and apps collecting what is clearly sensitive information. Interested in even more on this pertinent subject? Check out our blog on the future of data privacy in a post-Roe America.
HOW TO BECOME AN EXPERT
With Cleveland-Marshall’s cutting-edge online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) in Cybersecurity and Data Privacy, students receive an integrative education preparing you to understand the technical and business dimensions of cybersecurity and privacy as well as current laws and regulations. You get access to preeminent experts like Dr. Laura C. Hoffman, and the ability to analyze these complicated current legal issues at an extremely piercing, profound level through courses like HIPAA and Privacy.
Other courses include Cybersecurity I and II, teaching how cybersecurity and privacy work together so you can grasp the technical side. Privacy Law and Management analyzes the legal business’s significant privacy laws. Corporate Compliance I and II set you on course to become a certified compliance professional. Cyber Law teaches criminal law and procedure, national security law, and international law. Finally, the Cybersecurity Technical Capstone is a hands-on course in which students gain practical experience to understand how, why, and what to do when a cyberattack strikes.
The asynchronous, part-time, and fully online program is led by faculty from the Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and other leading practitioners in the field, with a focus on relevant, real-world experience. The MLS degree is designed for professionals who must understand the significant legal and business risks posed by cybersecurity and data privacy. Graduate with the knowledge and necessary skills to enter these crucial and evolving fields. Then, quickly advance to senior positions within organizations using your acute insights and coveted credentials. Our application deadline for the spring semester closes on January 4, so get started now!