A File With 37,408 Confidential Montreal COVID-19 Results Was Accidentally Emailed Out
Thousands of Quebecers who received COVID-19 tests over the summer have had their data compromised, the CIUSSS du Nord-De-L'île-De-Montréal confirmed in a press release.
On September 18, a file containing 37,408 COVID-19 test results was mistakenly emailed to 59 employees of the CIUSSS du Nord-De-L'île-De-Montréal.
The file contained personal and confidential information about patients who received COVID-19 tests between July 19 and September 17.
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I am very uncomfortable with what happened
Minister Christian Dubé, in a press conference on October 6
The CIUSSS du Nord-De-L'île-De-Montréal did not release a public statement about the data breach until it published the press release on October 6.
The press release came on the same day as a press conference in which health minister Christian Dubé called attention to the data breach, saying it was caused by "human error."
"That is not acceptable . . . for those who [don't] know, there is a person who sent a list of people affected to his colleagues at work . . . for reasons we will try to understand," Dubé said.
Dubé said the CIUSSS has called for an investigation, which was also stated in the press release.
The press release offers little detail. When MTL Blog reached out to the CIUSSS in question, we asked what steps it was taking to prevent another data breach and how it's ensuring that Quebecers' private information remains confidential.
Two spokespeople for the CIUSSS declined to respond.
We then asked why the CIUSSS refused to comment, and have not heard back.