WikiLeaks' giant data dumps have exposed personal health information and other sensitive data, according to an analysis by the Associated Press.
WikiLeaks says its mission is to bring attention to censored or restricted material "involving war, spying and corruption." But a leak of files from the Saudi Foreign Ministry last year included 124 medical files, some dealing with patients with psychiatric problems or seriously ill children, the AP notes.
Additionally from that dump, one divorce document dove into detail about the man’s infertility. Partners of women suffering from sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and Hepatitis C were identified in another.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has not responded to the AP’s month-long attempt to get comments.
A Fox News story previously pointed to WikiLeaks as a reason to slow down the federal electronic medical record incentive program.
It quoted Deborah Peel, founder of the Austin, Texas-based Patient Privacy Rights Foundation, as saying, "If you think WikiLeaks is bad, this is gonna be WikiLeaks on steroids."
To learn more:
- read the full AP article