April 15, 2021 (Anchorage, AK) – Governor Mike Dunleavy today directed the Alaska Department of Law to investigate a potential violation of law after a group of Alaskans were contacted by individuals working on behalf of the Municipality of Anchorage about COVID-19 vaccine information. The Municipality received the names and contact information of those individuals through an unauthorized action by staff at the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Though a data-sharing agreement with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services exists with Anchorage’s Health Department, the unauthorized sharing of information did not occur through that channel.
The Governor also directed DHSS Commissioner Adam Crum to conduct an internal review of all the department’s data-sharing agreements.
“Alaskans value their right to privacy, especially sensitive health information, and they have a right to know how that information may or may not be used,” said Governor Dunleavy. “While the data shared appears to be limited, I apologize to any Alaskan affected by this action. The Department of Law will investigate the facts of the event while Health and Social Services will report back to me with new policies and procedures that will prevent this from happening again.”
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