At least 12,000 people affected by alleged data breach
Friday, 16 February 2024
Te Whatu Ora - Health NZ is contacting at least 12,000 people whose personal details may be linked to an alleged data breach by former staff member Barry Young.
Young, 56, has been charged with dishonestly accessing databases belonging to his now former employer, which runs the country’s hospitals. He then appeared in videos online with conspiracy theorist and former broadcaster Liz Gunn where they made claims about vaccine safety.
Their claims have been thoroughly debunked by experts in vaccine safety, data analyses and Covid-19.
In a statement, on Friday, Te Whatu Ora chief executive Margie Apa said the Crown agency deeply regretted what happened and apologised sincerely to those affected.
“The first group we are contacting is a large number of Covid-19 vaccinators whose personal information was in a downloadable file on a United States based blog site. As soon as we found out about this, we asked for the information to be removed. It was later taken down.
Te Whatu Ora had “vigorously pursued” legal avenues to have the data removed in line with Employment Relations Authority orders that prevent the sharing of the data.
Te Whatu Ora had “vigorously pursued” legal avenues to have the data removed in line with Employment Relations Authority orders that prevent the sharing of the data.
It would continue doing this wherever it become aware of unauthorised use or disclosure, and was working closely with police and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
“This is a highly complex situation, and our investigation is ongoing. We are working with local and international cyber security experts to assist and monitor for signs of the data being disclosed online.”
In December, The Post revealed Young had been making comments on LinkedIn – a public forum – questioning the use of vaccine mandates and alleging the Government lied about vaccine safety as far back as 2021. Te Whatu Ora has declined to answer questions on whether it knew about this or took any action.
Apa said on Friday the agency was committed to learning from the alleged breach.
Te Whatu Ora was offering support and advice to individuals being notified, she said.
Vaccines remained safe, Apa said.
“The role played by vaccinators during the pandemic was invaluable and helped to keep communities safe and save lives.”
The agency was offering support and advice to individuals being notified, she said.
Te Whatu Ora said it could not say whether Young had been formally dismissed, but confirmed he was no longer on staff.