With a view to pulling the veil back on the whys and wherefores of their operations, a representative of either the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority or the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) will every week answer a question of industry importance posed by the TDN.If you have any questions you'd like to ask HISA or HIWU, please feel free to send them over to us at the following email address: danross@thetdn.comThis is a follow-up to last week's Ask HISA, concerning potential misuse of protected veterinary data.Q: Given the fragile nature of the horse racing wagering ecosystem in the U.S. right now, when matters of integrity are in question, it's vital they are properly investigated and addressed, with the whole process conducted in a transparent manner. While indeed some of the information shared on those custom made past performances is different from what is in the HISA Portal and InCompass, a lot of the information is identical. Just on a surface level, this leaves the door potentially open to multiple efforts to access and disseminate this information.With that in mind, can you explain in detail what kind of internal review you conducted that makes you so sure the information could not have come from the online portal? Who conducted this review, for example? And what specifically did they look at? Who did they speak with? Furthermore, who are those “outside entities” that you have spoken with about this matter? Is HISA involved in any way with the investigations you've encouraged them to conduct? And what are some potential consequences if indeed a HISA-licensed individual is found to be selling or improperly sharing data like this?A: From Lisa Lazarus, HISA CEO.Once HISA became aware that information was circulating that may contain non-public veterinary information, the HISA internal technology team lead by Chief Technology Officer Steve Keech did the following: (i) conducted a detailed review of the results from HISA's continuous automated monitoring and vulnerability scanning systems; (ii) performed a comprehensive internal review of all systems related to the HISA Portal to determine whether any unauthorized users had accessed any portions of the system not available to the general public; and (iii) went through all API calls in the last 6 months to investigate whether there had been any unauthorized access of the HISA API. The results of that investigation confirmed that there had not been any unauthorized users who were able to gain access to the HISA Portal nor was there any unusual Portal activity.Nonetheless, for the sake of completion and given the significance of the issue to industry integrity, HISA is extending its investigation into whether any authorized users may have been able to access restricted data or may have shared their access with unauthorized persons. That is a more complicated endeavor and will take some additional time to determine and report back to the industry.Following a similarly extensive review, The Jockey Club has confirmed to HISA that there has been no unauthorized access to or breach of the InCompass system. Nonetheless, The Jockey Club is also conducting a further investigation that is similar to HISA but focuses on unauthorized access to the InCompass System.HISA and The Jockey Club, in close collaboration with racetracks, will continue to assess and refine data access protocols, monitor the situation closely, and take any additional steps necessary to safeguard information while maintaining the integrity of its safety mission.If there has been unauthorized access to the HISA Portal or the InCompass system, or unauthorized use of any confidential information, HISA and/or The Jockey Club will refer the case to law enforcement because it would amount to criminal activity.The post Ask HISA: Veterinary Data Usage Follow-Up appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.