Today I got pretty depressed. I saw a link that 13 tech companies were funding a seminar put on by Deb Peel’s Patients Privacy Rights.org (and no I’m not helping with a link) It’s a big pity that sensible companies have been pressured into funding that organization and worse that somehow despite the gibberish Peel has spoken in so many places she’s accepted as being the main face of consumer concerns about privacy. Of course I’ve had my say about her in the past. However I was a little heartened by this Milt Freudenheim NY Times article which after decrying the “epidemic” of personal health information violations had both David Brailer and Wes Rishel basically saying, 1) yes there will be breaches, 2) no, that’s not a reason not to go electronic and c) we need a system that bans the illegitimate use of the data–rather than punishes the accidental breach. And no Deb Peel in sight. Well done NYT.