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Category Archives: ID Theft

FTC Releases Survey of Identity Theft in the U.S. Study Shows 8.3 Million Victims in 2005

Press release: “The Federal Trade Commission today released a survey showing that 8.3 million American adults, or 3.7 percent of all American adults, were victims of identity theft in 2005. Of the victims, 3.2 million, or 1.4 percent of all adults, experienced misuse of their existing credit card accounts; 3.3 million, or 1.5 percent, experienced… Continue Reading

2007 Identity Theft Resource Center Breach List

“…the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) has been tracking security breaches for the past three years, looking for patterns, new trends and any information that may help us better protect data and assist companies in their activities…In 2006, there were in excess of 315 publicized breaches affecting nearly 20 million individuals. Based on ITRC’s categorization,… Continue Reading

UK Government Loses Personal Data on 25 Million Citizens

20 November 2007, Statement to the House of Commons by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, MP, on HMRC “With your permission Mr Speaker I should like to make a statement on the breach of procedures which led to missing personal data relating to child benefit from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs…The National Audit Office… Continue Reading

Bureau of Justice Statistics: Identity Theft, 2005

Identity Theft, 2005 released on November 7, 2007: “Presents data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) on identity theft victimization and its consequences. This report presents the first full year of data available after new questions about identity theft were added to the survey in July 2004. Identity theft is defined in the report… Continue Reading

Agencies Issue Final Rules on Identity Theft Red Flags and Notices of Address Discrepancy

Text of the Federal Register Notice [256 pages, PDF] – Identity Theft Red Flags and Address Discrepancies Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003: 16 C.F.R. Part 681 (Federal Trade Commission Rule): Joint Final Rules and Guidelines of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Treasury; the Board of Governors of… Continue Reading

CDT Comments on FTC's Spyware Principles

CDT: “As it seeks models to address the mounting issues surrounding online behavioral targeting, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should begin by applying the principles it developed to guide its anti-spyware enforcement efforts, CDT said today. In comments submitted to the FTC in advance of its upcoming “town hall” meeting on behavioral advertising, CDT pointed… Continue Reading

New Bill To Add And Toughen Penalties For ID Theft And Fraud

Press release, October 16, 2007: “Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today introduced the bipartisan Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2007 to give federal prosecutors important new tools to combat the growing problem of identity theft and cyber crime. The Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act… Continue Reading

FTC Testifies on Identity Theft Initiatives

Press release: “The FTC today told the Maryland Task Force on Identity Theft that public organizations, including federal, state, and local governments, “play a critical role in guarding against misuse and unauthorized disclosure of the personal information they collect and maintain.” Speaking before the Maryland Task Force to Study Identity Theft, Betsy Broder, Assistant Director… Continue Reading

Article Examines Corporate Responsibility for Compromised Personal Records

Erickson, K., & Howard, P. (2007). A case of mistaken identity? News accounts of hacker, consumer, and organizational responsibility for compromised digital records. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), article 5. “The computer hacker is one of the most vilified figures in the digital era, but to what degree are organizations actually responsible for compromised personal… Continue Reading

UK Parliament Science and Technology – Fifth Report

UK House of Lords, Science and Technology Committee, 5th Report of Session 2006-2007: Personal Internet Security, August 10, 2007 (121 pages, PDF) “e-crime and the internet – Lords Science and Technology Committee calls for incentives, regulation and investment to tackle internet crime: The Internet is a powerful force for good: within 20 years it has… Continue Reading

Consumer Report's 2007 State of the Net

“The risk associated with using the Internet remains high. Our State of the Net assesses the likelihood and impact of four leading online hazards, listed in order of incidence, based on the survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center and our follow-up investigation.” In this report: Overview >> Phishing >> Viruses >> Spam >>… Continue Reading