Are there legal repercussions for disclosing another person’s health information on social media?
In Alaska, sharing another person’s health information on social media without their permission could lead to legal repercussions. There are both federal and state laws that protect a person’s health information from being revealed without their consent. The federal law is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and it generally prevents a person’s medical information from being shared without permission. In Alaska, state law also prohibits individuals from disclosing other people’s health information without permission. Alaskan Statute 18.80.110 contains the law which states that any person who discloses “any non-public information regarding the medical condition of another person” without their consent is guilty of a misdemeanor. Additionally, if a person’s health information is shared on social media without their consent, they may be able to sue the person responsible for damages. The damages could include both economic losses, such as medical expenses, and non-economic losses, such as emotional distress. In the worst cases, a person could face criminal charges from sharing health information on social media. For these reasons, it is important to be mindful of the privacy of other people’s health information when using social media.
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