Congressional Democrats introduce bill to safeguard health data

Democratic legislators have introduced a bill called the “Public Health Emergency Privacy Act” to address concerns about data security during and after the COVID-19 crisis. The bill would require companies to delete data collected for public health purposes 60 days after the emergency ends and to prevent the misuse of health data by government agencies. This comes amidst calls for effective contact tracing and digital monitoring technology, with healthcare industry groups also supporting patient privacy rights. However, neither the Democratic nor the Republican-introduced bill has gained significant traction in Congress.