To enroll in a new ObamaCare health insurance plan on the federal marketplace, most consumers must first provide private personal information.
But buried in that website's blueprint (known as "source code") lies an alarming warning first unearthed by the Weekly Standard.
"You have no reasonable expectation of privacy regarding any communication or data transiting or stored on this information system," reads the disclaimer, which does not appear on the site's visible "Terms and Conditions" page.
The disclaimer continues: "At any time, and for any lawful Government purpose, the government may monitor, intercept, and search and seize any communication or data transiting or stored on this information system."
Now security experts are worried this paragraph beneath the surface at HealthCare.govmay represent an ominous sign -- that the U.S. government is ill-equipped to handle identity thieves.
"This sounds as they're saying ... we're not guaranteeing we can protect anything you give us at all," security expert Morgan Wright told Fox News on Wednesday.
Wright added, "You've just told everybody where the gold is and you've left it unsecured. So it will come as no shock that this will be stolen."
A Health and Human Services Department official is throwing cold water on concern about this "source code" discovery.
In an emailed statement, HHS said: "When consumers fill out their online Marketplace applications, they can trust that the information they're providing is protected by stringent security standards and that the technology underlying the application process has been tested and is secure."
The White House would not reveal Wednesday how many consumers have actually enrolled in new plans at HealthCare.gov, though Press Secretary Jay Carney did highlight several success stories.
"In Delaware, a small business owner found a plan that cost her $150 less than the cost of her previous plan," Carney said Wednesday.
That particular example is notable because officials in Delaware told Fox News on Wednesday that they know of only one person who has actually enrolled atHealthCare.gov.
Her name is Janice Baker, 59, from Selbyville, Del.
Officials in Delaware are now checking with insurance companies to determine if anyone else has had success with the site.
No comments:
Post a Comment