Postal union warns against new USPS health database

The American Postal Workers Union is warning its members against using a database created by the Postal Service to store health records, out of fear the information might not be safe from hackers .

In a statement from APWU President Mark Dimondstein, the leader of the 200,000-strong union urged members “to exercise caution” when it comes to participating in the voluntary program.

“Last year’s cyber attack on the Postal Service demonstrates the danger in posting sensitive personal information in an online database maintained by management,” Dimondstein said in his Oct. 16 statement. “The APWU is fully committed to defending the privacy rights of our members and we encourage union members to be vigilant on their own behalf as well.”

The APWU stated the online database launched in early October and is known as the USPS Health Connect Portal.

In an email to Federal News Radio, Postal Service spokesman Roy Betts said the Health Connect portal is in a “predecisional phase” and the service was still reviewing the system.

The Postal Service admitted last November that earlier in the year hackers had accessed more than 800,000 current and former employees’ sensitive information including names, Social Security numbers and addresses. Since then, the Postal Service discovered that up to 485,000 people’s medical records may have been accessed in the breach.

“Based on our experience with the 2014 cyber attack, we urge union members to exercise caution,” Dimondstein said.

The APWU statement also references the Office of Personnel Management breach, which impacted more than 21 million federal employees.

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