For Immediate Release February 9, 2000

Contact: Mark Hilpert or Andy McDonald (202) 224-8440 E-mail: andy_mcdonald@wellstone.senate.gov

WASHINGTON -- Senator Paul Wellstone today joined a new effort to protect personal information in the face of increasingly easy access, storage, and transfer of information. Wellstone was named by Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota) to the Senate Democratic Privacy Task Force, chaired by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont).

The task force will work on developing legislative responses to consumer privacy threats, focusing on privacy related to financial information, medical records, online communications, and government surveillance.

"I am very concerned about increased invasions of privacy in all areas in the homes of Minnesotans," said Wellstone. "The technology revolution -- with so much information easily available -- can be a powerful tool for learning and improvement of our lives, it also can be a dangerous weapon. I am focused on making sure that information technology is used as a force for good, not for invading people's private lives."

Wellstone has already begun work on protecting what is many American's most private information: their medical records. On January 14, Wellstone wrote to Donna Shalala, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to privacy regulations proposed by HHS. In the letter, Wellstone pushed for several initiatives, including:

• minimum federal privacy standards
  
• fair information practices
  
• special protection of psychotherapy information
  
• inclusion of civil and criminal penalties for violation of regulations
  
• encouraging use of de-identified information when possible
  
• requiring a patient's informed consent for all disclosures of identifiable health information
  
• definition and protection of "sensitive health information" to include mental health, genetics, HIV, and other health categories

"No American should go without health care because they fear that information about their personal lives will be spread around without their consent," said Wellstone. "It is our obligation to ensure proper balance between the privacy rights of individuals regarding their personal health and financial information and the legitimate needs of health care providers, insurers, law enforcement officers, employers, financial institutions, and others."