Harvard’s Online Security

I am a retiree of Harvard University. My Primary Care Physician is a doctor of Harvard University Health Services. Once in a while we correspond with each other via the Patient Portal of HUHS. Now to maintain privacy this Patient Portal has a two layer security. First you have to have a Harvard Key (Your University ID, Date of Birth, and Password won’t do.) Then you have to have an App called Duo in your smartphone. In order to sign in to the Patient Portal, you go through Harvard Key etc. Then they send you a ‘push’ to your Duo, you accept it (or respond to it), only then you are connected and you can correspond with your doctor.

 

The problem is after a period of non-use my Harvard Key does not work. I have to set it up again from scratch. Then Duo also stops working. I have to uninstall the App, then re-install it. All this for a short message to my doctor!

 

Why all this nonsense? Why not a regular e-mail?  I am told it is for my privacy. What privacy? My health data can be accessed by hackers. Let them know I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar – I don’t care. Rock Hudson had AIDS,  Magic Johnson was HIV positive. The whole world knew it. Did they lose anything? Bob Dole, after retiring from US Senate, was promoting Viagra and Mrs. Dole confirmed that Viagra did work. Oops, the whole world came to know that Bob Dole had Erectile Dysfunction!!

 

If these people didn’t care about their privacy and let the whole world know about their medical problem why should ordinary people worry too much about their medical history known to others? At least I don’t worry.

And which hacker has the time and energy to break in to the e-mail of Tom, Dick, and Harry to know their medical history? Somebody please explain this to me.