BTW, this aspect of the thread is drifting into plug-talk territory. I keep it here because legislation will change how we are allowed to write and use do software.
Keith wrote: KHL> Complications: We've got a fax, which we use 3-5 times KHL> per month, for HIPAA-sensitive stuff. No internet fax KHL> services are truly HIPAA compliant. On Wed, Sep 06, 2017 at 05:21:38PM -0500, Chuck Hast wrote: CH> I find that so funny since fax has been breakable ever since the druggers CH> used to send "orders" over hf using fax machines and very expensive SSB CH> radios, some using pilot carrier to lock both ends. HIPAA, banks and CH> insurance companies still use fax believing it is not hackable. Keith responds: Like all government mandates, HIPAA is not about safety or robustness, it is about adherence to a bureaucratic procedure, enriching lawyers and penalizing those who don't with huge fines. The internet fax services purposely avoid HIPAA, but telcos are not allowed to. On a similar note ... My nephew arranges hazardous waste disposal for the National Institute of Health research centers in Bethesda, Maryland. The worst part of his job is that the enabling legislation for the Environmental Protection Agency specified exactly which chemicals may be properly labelled and safely disposed of using EPA mandated procedures, and FORBIDS that any nonlisted chemical is labeled or handled in the same way. The chemicals listed in the legislation (decades ago) were chosen politically, with some awful toxins forced off the list by their well-connected manufacturers and users. In the decades since the act was passed, many new chemicals are in play, and some of them are terrible. Researchers at NIH Bethesda sometimes use these toxins, and it is my nephew's task to figure out how to dispose of them, since the most responsible and safe disposal means are forbidden by law. Sometimes, he is forced to put the crap down the drain and into the Chesapeake. Sometimes, he works with the researchers to find less toxic ways to accomplish their goals. He's starting to study for a law degree, with a long term goal of repairing the legislation. I hope his integrity survives. On topic moral: Don't write bad software, or politicians will force you to write even worse software. Keith -- Keith Lofstrom kei...@keithl.com _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
