Shocked Accident Compensation Corporation claimants say their personal information was released in the mass privacy breach revealed this week.© 2012 Television New Zealand Ltd
Thousands of confidential ACC claims were mistakenly sent to a member of the public when an ACC employee sent an email last August in one of the worst breaches of privacy in New Zealand's history. The email contained the details of 9000 claims, including 137 from ACC's highly confidential sensitive claims unit which handles delicate cases like sexual abuse. The claims related to 6748 clients and ACC is telephoning and mailing an apology to them.
Claimants say the problem is worse than the corporation has admitted. Whangarei man Allan Nicholas was at home this morning when he got a phone call from ACC. But instead of giving their name, the caller wanted Nicholas to give his, as well as his date of birth. "I was quite appalled and quite disappointed," Nicholas told ONE News.
And being asked for personal information was not the only surprise. Yesterday, ACC chief executive Ralph Stewart told ONE News the primary information in the file mistakenly emailed was the client's name, their claim reference number and their branch number. "There was no personal information contained in the email," he said.
But Nicholas says ACC told him that his review application and the outcome were released. "Personal information, of a sensitive nature to myself. [I'm] very miffed to know that information had gone out."
ONE News put those criticisms to Stewart who now admits in some cases review outcomes have been released. He also apologised for the tone of the phone call this morning and invited Nicholas to contact him personally to discuss his concerns.
Another ACC claimant, who ONE News has not identified because she is a victim of sexual abuse, also told about getting a phone call from ACC. "I hung up, and I went screaming for my husband to tell him. And we rang him back, and I again lost the plot and I said 'how dare you?'", "Vanessa" told ONE News.
And after experiencing other privacy breaches she has lost faith in ACC's sensitive claims unit. "It needs to be shut down completely. It needs to be restarted, and I think that it just literally needs to be cleaned out," she said.
ACC minister Judith Collins met with ACC executives today and is expecting a report on the debacle as early next week. But today she hit back at the person who received the emails and blew the whistle.
"I cannot imagine how someone who's received the information wrongly has not instantly either given it back to ACC or given it to the Privacy Commissioner. This is an appalling thing to have done to 6,000 innocent people," Collins said.
ACC says it is going to invite the Privacy Commission to audit its process. The organisation told ONE News this evening that it has contacted 2199 people out of the 6748 affected by the privacy breach.
Rape victims fearful
Meanwhile, rape victims are fearful their details were among the 9000 confidential ACC claims mistakenly sent out, a victim support organisation says. Kim MacGregor from Rape Prevention Education told TV ONE's Breakfast that phone lines have been running hot since news emerged of the breach. She said many people who put in a claim under the sensitive claims unit are concerned and anxious that their information has been released.
MacGregor said in order to get funding for counselling under ACC the abuse victim has to give every detail about the sexual violence that occurred. "Many people would not have told anyone else but their counsellor," she said. "If the offence is within the family many family members will never know."
MacGregor said some victims are "fearful" because when they were abused the offender threatened them or their family if they told anyone about the attack. "So there is a great deal of fear for virtually every victim of sexual violence that has put a claim into ACC because they don't know whose information was released to the public," she said.
MacGregor said full names were released but not the details of the offences. "A lot of clients are saying it has put them right back to the beginning of their therapy because they're not feeling safe."
She said ACC could provide counselling for all victims of sexual violence who have put in claims.
Compensation
And the victims of the privacy breach may not get compensation. ACC yesterday said anyone who would like to seek a settlement or compensation could write to the corporation's privacy officer and the issue would then be dealt with on a case by case basis.
Under the breach of Privacy Act victims can only be compensated if they can prove they have been harmed in some way, which includes humiliation and injury to feelings. But compensation will not be automatic - every case will have to be dealt with individually.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/acc-claimants-say-personal-information-released-4775496
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