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The Department of Veterans Affairs watchdog agency alleges that two VA employees “concealed” and “mispresented” the cybersecurity and privacy risks of an ambitious big data project that would have analyzed 22 million veterans’ health records dating back two decades.
The VA ended up pulling the plug on the contract with technology vendor Flow Health Inc. before the project launched after news media coverage brought VA leadership’s attention to the initiative’s issues. The case not only spotlights the risks involved in big data initiatives, but also the threats posed by insiders.
In its report – “False Statements and Concealment of Material Information by VA Information Technology Staff” - issued Thursday, the VA Office of Inspector General says it dug into whether two VA employees had financial conflicts of interest in their connection with the Flow Health deal.