‘I would be concerned:’ HIV status of thousands of Floridians leaked after hack

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The health records of thousands of people in Florida are on the dark web, including their HIV status, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

This is after the Florida Department of Health was hacked two weeks ago.

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The Tampa Bay Times confirmed A clinic in Jacksonville was among three hacked. Online hackers asked for an unknown amount of money and threatened to release the information if not paid.

The leaked documents are reported to be the most up to date.

Mobeen Rathore, the Founding Director of the University of Florida Center for HIV/AIDS Research, says confidentiality is important.

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“Any information that’s confidential is sensitive but this with HIV with unfortunately the stigma that goes along with that this is really concerning. I think it also I would be concerned that people are going to be less likely to come forward and want to get tested that their information is secured,” Rathore told Action News Jax.

The FDOH said it’s working around the clock to get the vital statistics system back online. However, there is currently no timeline for when it will be restored.

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