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Re: Ethics in Archives



Under legislation in Ontario, the privacy of an individual with respect to "personal information," such as that contained in medical records, lasts well beyond death.  In fact, for governmental records, privacy lasts until 30 years after the death of the individual.  Often, similar provisions are applied to non-governmental records.  

Sally Gibson



********************************************************

 Sally Gibson
     Archivist

     City of Toronto Archives
     255 Spadina Road
     Toronto, Ontario
     Canada  M5R 2V3
     
    tel.:      (416) 392-5561
    fax:      (416) 392-9685 
    email:  sgibson0@city.toronto.on.ca

>>> US Archives <PubFold_US_Archives@TOWERSOFT.COM.AU> 05/03/01 09:11pm >>>
Hi Valerie,

an interesting subject. Regarding health related records, here are some
general comments for information.

I think that it is generally accepted that privacy has an expiry date,
commonly associated with the death of the subject, however certain records
can still be controversial after the subject's death and so require longer
closure periods.

I understand that the medical records of WW1 Australian service personnel
are still not open despite the death of virtually all of the subjects (even
where this can be proven). Apparently sexually transmitted diseases were so
common among the troops that the implications for family members back home
(and society at large) are quite significant.