[Law firm Veat] Understanding Customized Health Functional Foods and Personal Information Protection through the ‘PharMerica’ Large-Scale Personal Information Leakage Incident

Law firm Veat published a column in Platum, a startup-focused media platform, highlighting the importance of personal information protection, cybersecurity, and legal responsibility for companies in the digital healthcare industry.

The column sheds light on the importance of personal information protection and corporate legal responsibility through the large-scale personal information leak incident that occurred at the large U.S. pharmacy network PharMerica.

In March 2023, PharMerica experienced an incident where sensitive personal information of up to 5.81 million customers, including names, addresses, social security numbers, and drug information, was leaked due to an attack by the ransomware group Money Message, and faced criticism regarding social responsibility and transparency due to delays in accident notification. This incident vividly demonstrates the weight of privacy protection obligations that companies must bear in the digital healthcare era.

The column raises key questions about how digital healthcare companies should balance technological innovation with personal information protection, and what efforts regulatory bodies and society should make to protect personal information. It also proposes specific response measures that companies should take and policy tasks for the government.

[This link] allows you to view the specifics of the column.

Law firm Veat specializes in providing legal advice on personal information protection, cybersecurity, AI (artificial intelligence), and big data utilization throughout the digital healthcare and customized health functional food industries. It diagnoses potential legal risks that may arise in complex technological environments and designs rapid and effective response strategies in the event of an incident, providing practical legal advice to help companies maintain customer trust and achieve sustainable growth.

Joo-hyeong, Head of the Food Regulatory Consulting Team at Law firm Veat holds a doctorate in law and provides legal advice based on expertise in domestic and international food regulations and the global food industry. He has served as an adjunct professor at the Food Safety Regulatory Science Department of Chung-Ang University and Director of the Policy Research Lab at the Food Safety Information Agency. He also holds U.S. FSVP, PCHF-PCQI/FSPCA qualifications, possessing broad understanding and practical experience in overseas export strategies and international regulatory response.