Can a hospital be held liable for last names and Social Security numbers if the data is stored in a non-protected area

Yes

Explanation:

Data protection is one of the biggest concerns for the governments and organizations of a country. Various policies are made for data protection for different places.

The HIPPA policy was made by the United States Congress in 1996 to protect the personal information for patients who seek treatment in a hospital or any health care service such as an insurance company.

Under this policy, a hospital can be held accountable if any data concerning the patients is kept in a non - protected area.