F. Facsimile Transmission
Case: A medical doctor who was filing for bankruptcy faxed a financial document to his attorney. He entered the wrong telephone number, and the document was instead transmitted to the local newspaper.
- Is the fax machine in a supervised area, off limits to unauthorized persons? Is use restricted to authorized personnel only?
- Is the fax machine used exclusively for sending non-confidential materials?
- When sending documents, do all users complete a cover sheet which indicates the sender''s and receiver''s names, addresses and telephone numbers?
- When confidential materials are sent, is notice of their confidential nature indicated on the cover sheet?
- Do users always check the receiver''s telephone number before transmitting documents? Do users compare the number displayed with number being called to check for errors? Do users check the transmission report after the fax has been sent?
- When transmitting confidential materials, is the recipient notified in advance that the document is being sent? Does the sender check with the receiver to make sure the document has been received?
G. Answering Machines
Case: Message left on the wrong answering machine when the phone number was misdialed: "Hello Mrs. Weaver. This is Judy from the County Parole Office. You called earlier about your daughter Crystal? She has already been taken to the California Youth Authority [juvenile detention center]."
- Are precautions taken for situations when confidential and highly sensitive messages are expected to be left on answering machines? Is the number of the call recipient verified for accuracy? Is permission asked of the intended call recipient to leave confidential messages on the machine? Are non-specific messages left when prior permission has not been obtained from the call recipient?
H. Cellular and Cordless Telephones
Case: As people stood in line to enter the theater, the cellular phone conversation of one theater-goer was overheard by those nearest her. It soon became obvious that the woman was a medical doctor, talking about the care of a patient.
Conversations on cellular and cordless phones are vulnerable to eavesdropping because the signals are transmitted over radio waves. Anyone with a radio scanner can listen to your conversations unless you use newer digital telephones that can "scramble" the signals.
- Are cellular and cordless phones strictly forbidden for conversations involving confidential information in which personal names are revealed, for example, a patient''s medical care or a law suit? Are "wireless" phone users cautioned to talk out of earshot of others nearby who might hear their half of the conversation?
- Are all "wireless" transmissions containing confidential information "scrambled?"
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