The FTC has announced that customers of LifeLock's identity theft protection services will be receiving refunds as part of a settlement with the company. Since 2006, LifeLock has advertised that it could prevent identity theft for consumers willing to sign up for its $10-a-month service. However, the fraud alerts that LifeLock placed on its customers’ credit files protected only against certain forms of identity theft.
Comments Submitted to the Federal Trade Commission
for Consideration in the Third Privacy Roundtable (March 17, 2010)
by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Beth Givens, Director
March 5, 2010
Privacy Roundtables
Comment, Project No. P095416
Scope
Excerpt from Comments by the Utility Consumers' Action Network and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse on the Assigned Commissioner's February 8th Scoping Memo
Submitted March 5, 2010
Public Utilities Commission of the State of California
The Privacy Problems Inherent in the Smart Grid
Implementation of the smart grid has significant implications for personal privacy. UCAN's program, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, presents the following privacy analysis.
Most people are aware of the dangers posed by scams that claim to be originating from a business. But what if you receive an e-mail, phone call, or letter claiming to come from a government agency? Many consumers are likely to assume that such communications are legitimate because they appear to come from the government.
It’s a new year and you may already be thinking about filing your income tax return. Perhaps you have received your tax forms in the mail from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). You may be in a hurry to file if you are expecting a refund. Before you file, we want you to understand about IRS “information returns”. These important documents are mailed to you not by the IRS, but by other organizations.
We at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse wish you a happy, prosperous and private new year. For 2010, resolve to be a privacy advocate. Use our ten tips below to minimize your risk of identity theft, protect your personal information and assert your rights to privacy.
1. Be assertive in guarding your privacy when you are asked to provide sensitive information that you do not feel is necessary. If someone (including healthcare providers, government agencies and employers) asks for your personal information, ask these 5 questions:
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is pleased to offer these ten timely tips to protect you and your privacy during the holiday season. You may be shopping more frequently and under more crowded and frantic conditions. Follow these tips to help avoid scams and rip-offs. Be a privacy-smart consumer!
[Date]
[Your address]
[Name of company]
[Company's address as shown in the privacy notice]
RE: Opt-Out Instructions for Account #______________
Dear [name if given in the privacy notice]:
Following are my instructions with regard to your information sharing and sales policies:
1. You do not have my permission to share my personally identifiable information with
nonaffiliated third party companies or individuals. I am asserting my rights under the
Breach Notice Comments Submitted to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
October 23, 2009
US Department of Health and Human Services
Office for Civil Rights, Attention: HITECH Breach Notification
Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Room 509F
200 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20201
Submitted via: www.regulations.gov
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
[Name of care provider or facility]
[Address]
RE: [Your medical identification number or other identifier used]
Dear
The purpose of this letter is to request copies of my medical records as allowed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Department of Health and Human Services regulations.