With the spike in devastating data breaches, a government warehouse storing the data of HealthCare.gov customers is raising significant privacy concerns and questions, reports ABC News.
Here are eight things to know:
1. The system is known as MIDAS and it stores a wealth of information including names, Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses, phone numbers, passport numbers, employment status and financial accounts.
2. The data is being maintained indefinitely, according to a government privacy assessment in January.
3. However, the administration does not have a final timeline for destroying this information.
4. The National Archives has recommended a 10-year retention period.
5. An Obama administration spokesperson has said that MIDAS is essential for the functioning of the health insurance marketplaces and that it meets or exceeds privacy standards.
6. However, many have criticized this measure, including former Social Security commissioner Michael Astrue, saying that there is no justification for keeping this data indefinitely.
7. Additionally, the GAO noted that the system went live without a thorough examination of privacy risks.
8. This is especially worrying given the number of data breaches that have taken place recently, including the Anthem breach during which the personal information of approximately 80 million customers was compromised.
9. MIDAS is owned by the federal CMS and operated by a major government technology contractor, CACI.