The Pennsylvania Department of Health terminated the contract it had with COVID-19 contact tracing vendor Insight Global after it publicly exposed intimate details of 72,000 residents, according to a May 20 article published by local CBS affiliate KDKA.
Five details:
- The health department informed the Senate Communications and Technology Committee that it would be terminating the contract early on June 19, even though it was set to end on July 31.
- The health department was receiving backlash from lawmakers and lawyers because many believed the state wasn't going to terminate the $23 million contract, but instead let it run out, KDKA reported.
- The termination comes weeks after both the health department and Insight Global were sued by a data breach victim for allegedly uploading Pennsylvania residents' protected health information to a portal that was accessible through Google search and was not password protected. The lawsuit also alleges that the health department was notified about the breach as early as February, but neither the department nor Insight Global secured the PHI until April.
- The health department confirmed that Insight Global is still obligated to remedy the situation, regardless of the contract ending early. Notification letters are expected to be sent out this week to victims whose data was breached.
- Regardless of the contract's early break, there will not be a pause in contact tracing, said acting Health Secretary Alison Beam. The contact tracing hotline will continue to be staffed.