Update On October 2, 2006, Qchex agreed to a temporary restraining order to halt "unfair business practices," according to the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has asked the U.S. District Court to order a permanent halt to the illegal operation and to order Qchex to "give up their ill-gotten gains.". Read more at www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/10/qchex.htm.
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and PrivacyActivism submitted comments to the US Attorney General expressing concern about commercial data vendors and private employers' use of federal criminal records files for employment purposes. The comments were submitted at the request of the US Attorney General who is seeking recommendations for a report being prepared for Congress. The report to Congress is required by a 2004 law for Intelligence Reform.
You have no doubt heard by now that on Friday June 16th MasterCard reported that a Tucson-based credit card transaction company, CardSystems, experienced a serious security breach in which the account data of 40 million cards had been compromised. Nearly 14 million of those cards were MasterCard-branded cards and 22 million were VISA cards. Other card brands were also affected.
Apparently the breach was discovered May 22nd. It appears that a hacker was able to insert a virus into the computer system that captured customer data.
Starting June 1, 2005, any business, large or small, that uses consumer reports must dispose of this sensitive information “properly.” The rule also applies to individuals who use consumer reports for a business purpose.
Are the Businesses You Frequent or Work for Exposing
You to an Identity Thief?
Assign 1 point for each NO answer.
| ___ | It conducts a background check before hiring employees who will have access to personal identifying information and screens cleaning services, temp services, and contractors. |
Like so many emails these days you can't believe everything that comes into your inbox. A recent example of some of the half truths contained in well-intentioned emails includes the following which has been making the rounds on the Internet:
If you are like most people, you don’t really want to read privacy policies. They aren’t typically easy to understand. Nor are they often descriptive enough for you to actually grasp what a company is doing with your information. Even so, we believe they can be valuable tools to help you protect your personal information. You might discover privacy settings and choices you were unaware of. You will also find that some companies take your privacy more seriously than others, which may help you choose who to do business with.
Comments Submitted by PrivacyActivism and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human and Services
January 18, 2005
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Department of Health and Human Services
Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Room 517D
200 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20201
Filed electronically: NHINRFI@hhs.gov
RE: Comments on National Health Information Network – Request for Information
Submitted to the Federal Reserve Board by
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Electronic Privacy Information Center
CALPIRG and
U.S. PIRG
Jennifer J. Johnson, Secretary
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
20th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20551
Submitted: regs.comments@federalreserve.gov
RE: Comments -- Open-End (Revolving) Credit Rules – Docket No. R-1217
Dear Secretary Johnson:
Dylan received a phone call at work (by name) that offered him a free cholesterol screening as part of a research study by Astrazenica. He was told that they received his name from a patient list at his health insurance company. Concerned about his name being given for a study without his permission, he contacted his health insurance company.