ABSTRACT

In his 2009 article, Peter Swire describes a growing phenomenon in relation to electronic medical records-peeping. He outlines three types of peeping in his article: “the gaze, the gossip and the grab” [1]. The gaze is the act of looking at something that is restricted, like the health record of a patient, to which someone should not have access. This in itself violates the individual’s privacy. The gossip inflicts additional harm to the individual by affecting his or her reputation. This could lead to harms such as denial of insurance, loss of employment, or social stigma. The grab is when the peeping is done for financial gain.