Solutions to Identity Theft & Consumer Privacy baffle Congress
ChoicePoint does it. LexisNexis does it too.
I’m talking about collecting sensitive, personal information about you and me. Everything ranging from ID’s and passwords to social security numbers.
What else do they have in common?
How about trouble keeping that information secure.
In then past several months, the news media has been letting us know just how much of a problem this really is with stories like this latest one on Time Warner.
Consumer outrage is creating a stir on Capitol Hill and Congress is primed to pass new laws to try to prevent break-ins and to require businesses to confess to customers when private data is taken.
Earlier this week, executives from several of the breached companies encouraged congress to strengthen regulations governing consumer information.
It seems like the right thing to do after all, but it is proving to be a frustrating task for lawmakers.
Delaware’s own Rep. Michael Castle (R) said:
“To try to determine the manner breached, the remedy breached, all these kind of things is going to be extremely difficult,”
I personally think it is just a matter of time until private industry way profit from beating this epidemic. That’s how the problem is more likely to be solved.
Capitalism, not bureaucracy is the answer.
Here’s an example of a step in that direction; On Monday, TRUSTe, a non-profit online privacy group, issued its first set of data security guidelines Monday to assist companies — small and large — evaluate new or existing policies for protecting consumer and employee personally identifiable information. These guidelines are available as a resource for companies that hold TRUSTe’s Web and other members of the public.