David Lazarus (SF Chronicle): Shifting Sands in Data Leak. ChoicePoint holds an estimated 19 billion public records pertaining to virtually every adult in the country, although not one of us has authorized the company to profit from our personal info. ChoicePoint is duped into releasing reams of confidential data to identity thieves. And as far as the company is concerned, this is a crime against ChoicePoint but merely an inconvenience for all those whose privacy was violated.
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February 25, 2005
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D: All Things Digital
"ChoicePoint is duped into releasing reams of confidential data to identity thieves."
Wrong.
"ChoicePoint is duped into SELLING reams of confidential data to identity thieves."
Posted by: TimH | February 26, 2005 at 12:01 PM
"And as far as the company is concerned, this is a crime against ChoicePoint"
Facintating. Is ChoicePoint saying that the check bounced? If not, and since ChoicePoint is basically unregulated, I don't see how they have been defrauded since it apparantly isn't a crime for them to sell people's personal data to criminals.
Clearly the crime that has occurred is against the individuals who's data was sold. Things like your mother's maiden name, your SSN, your address can't really be changed to stop scammers. Once this information is released into the wild it can't be recalled. The breach of security at ChoicePoint has caused immeasurable damage for which they are responsible. It is time for some tougher regulations of the sale of personal data. In fact, since so many companies use SSNs as PINs, ChoicePoint could be seen as illegally selling people's passwords.
Posted by: Scote | February 26, 2005 at 01:30 PM
ChoicePoint's actions bring another matter to mind. The personal data that ChoicePoint sells to anyone who asks is the same kind of data that hackers sell to identity thieves. One wonders why what ChoicePoint does is legal, when if you or I sold the same data we would be arrested.
Posted by: Scote | February 26, 2005 at 03:06 PM
Time for a class action lawsuit.
Posted by: Eric | February 26, 2005 at 08:16 PM
Every California resident should seriously consider limiting access to his/her credit history. See "How to Put a Security Freeze on Your Credit File":
http://www.privacy.ca.gov/financial/cfreezeon.htm
Posted by: Alison Chaiken | February 27, 2005 at 10:21 AM