Advocacy groups are criticizing the California Department of Healthcare Services for releasing the names of about 5,000 residents with HIV to a healthcare contractor, while Alaska officials fear a breach at the Alaska AIDS Assistance Association may have compromised the information of 2,000 individuals. According to Bay Area Reporter, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and the HIV and AIDS Legal Services Alliance sent a letter to the department stating they are "shocked and dismayed by the department's blatant disregard of both California law and the privacy of HIV-positive Californians," while a spokesman for the department has said it abided by all confidentiality provisions required by law.
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