Entries tagged with: Identity Theft
29 result(s) displayed.
Identity Theft Remains Top Concern of US Consumers
According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft was the top source of consumer complaints in 2011 comprising 15 percent of the 1.8 million total complaints filed. This is the 12th year in a row in which identity theft has...
California Passes Updated Data Breach Legislation
California has enacted Senate Bill 24, first introduced in 2001 by Senator Joe Simitian, which strengthens existing state breach notification law. Since 2002, California law has required data holders to notify individuals if their data is breached, but the law...
House Subcommittee Approves Weak Data Breach Bill
A House Commerce Subcommittee voted in favor of the SAFE Data Act, a data breach bill sponsored by Rep. Bono Mack (R-CA). The bill requires companies to act quickly in the case of breach and encourages minimization of data collection....
In Response to Mounting Evidence of Data Breach Risk, EPIC Urges Congress to Act
EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg testified before the Senate Banking Committee, urging lawmakers to apply breach notification regulations to financial institutions and promote authentication techniques that reduce risks to consumers. EPIC observed that "current laws do not adequately protect consumers,"...
Senator Leahy Introduces Data Privacy Bill
Senator Leahy introduced the Data Privacy Bill of 2011, which is aimed at increasing protection for Americans' personal information and privacy. The bill establishes a national breach notification standard, and requires businesses to safeguard consumer information and allow consumers to...
EPIC Tells FTC To Step Up Enforcement Against Debt Collectors
EPIC submitted a statement to the Federal Trade Commission in response to a public request for feedback about new trends in technology, consumer protection, and the debt collection industry. EPIC argued that Congress has authorized the FTC to bring much...
Senator Leahy Calls for Updates to Federal Privacy Law, Attorney General Confirms Sony Investigation
At a Justice Department oversight hearing, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy today urged Congress to enact the bipartisan Personal Data Privacy and Security Act. He also said that the "collection, use and storage of Americans’ sensitive personal information, including by...
Senator Blumenthal Asks Justice Department to Investigate PlayStation Breach
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder asking that the Department of Justice open an investigation into the Sony PlayStation security breach. Sony recently informed PlayStation Network customers that an "unauthorized user" had obtained the personal and...
Privacy Watchdog Receives Broad Protection for Publishing Public Records
A federal judge has issued a final order in favor of privacy advocate Betty Ostergren, who challenged a state law designed to prosecute her for drawing attention to the state's poor security practices. Ostegren had posted public records on her...
Epsilon Data Breach Threatens E-mail Privacy of Millions
Epsilon, a large marketing firm, has lost the names and e-mail addresses of customers of Walgreens, JP Morgan Chase, Capitol One, Tivo, and other large companies. The firm announced the data breaches late last week. Data service providers, such as...
Social Security Protection Act of 2010 Becomes Law
President Obama signed a bill aimed at reducing identity theft by limiting the Government's use of and access to social security numbers. The bill, which passed the House and Senate, prohibits government agencies from printing social security numbers on checks...
Web Companies Defend Data Collection Practices, Google Absent
Eleven internet companies responded to Rep. Markey and Rep. Barton's request for information regarding their data collection practices. However, the companies said that it is "impossible" for them to eliminate online tracking of consumer behavior. Google refused to respond to...
Senate Holds Hearing on Data Security and Breach Notification Bill
The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on S. 3742, The Data Security and Breach Notification Act of 2010. This bill requires security policies for consumer information, regulates the information broker industry, and establishes a national breach notification law. EPIC...
Appeals Court Protects Free Speech for Privacy Advocate
Privacy Advocate Betty Ostergren has won in federal appeals court in her challenge to a state law designed to prosecute her for drawing attention to the state's online publication of SSNs. In Ostergren v. Cuccinelli, the court ruled that the...
FTC Delays Identity Theft Rule Yet Again
The Federal Trade Commission is delaying, for the fourth time, its enforcement of the "Red Flags Rule." This rule requires creditors and financial institutions to implement programs to identify, detect and respond to the warning signs, or “red flags,” that...
Inspector General: ID Theft Not a Priority at Justice Department
The Inspector General's Office released a new report on the Department of Justice's Efforts to Combat Identity Theft. The report states that identity theft is a growing problem, but the Justice Department's efforts to combat the crime have "faded as...
Massachusetts Data Protection Law Goes into Effect
Massachusetts’s new data protection law went into effect at the beginning of March. The law applies to all companies that own or license the personal information of Massachusetts residents. According to the new regulations, companies are now required to create...
House Passes Data Breach Bill
Today, legislators passed the Data Accountability and Trust Act, which requires security policies for consumer information, regulates the information broker industry, and establishes a national breach notification law. The bill now moves to the Senate, which is also considering a...
EPIC Urges Court to Protect Speech of Privacy Advocate
Today, EPIC filed a "friend of the court" brief with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, urging the court to hold that the First Amendment protects the speech of Betty Ostergren, a privacy advocate. Ostergren runs a Website that republishes...
House Committee to Consider Data Breach Bill
On September 30, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will consider a proposed federal law that would establish national standards for data breaches notifications. The Data Accountability and Trust Act (DATA) also regulates information brokers and requires companies to adopt...
