Originally published September 29 2005
Congress must take action to stop identity theft, pressure group warns
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The U.S.-based, non-profit group Identity Theft Resource Center warns that information leaks and identity theft problems are getting out of hand in this country, and they are pressuring Congress to create new laws and assist companies in preventing identity theft.
There have been at least 104 serious "data incidents" in the US since 1 January which represent just the "tip of an iceberg" in serious systemic computer security problems.
The incidents potentially affect more than 56.2 million individuals, according to the US-based non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC).
Congressional committees are waging a turf war over a security breach notification law, while companies, governmental agencies and educational facilities are "mishandling information on a daily basis and putting all of us at risk of identity theft".
What we do know is that security breaches are not new - they have been occurring for years.
What is different is that now you are hearing about them."
However, the pressure group admitted that any notification law is only a bandage to cover the more significant problem of personal information leakage, a subject that the ITRC believes industry would rather Congress did not address.
The ITRC noted that security breaches fall into a number of easily recognisable categories, including lost or stolen computers, unprotected backup tapes lost in transit, hackers breaking into systems and virus attacks.
"Something has to change or we might as well give up the battle against identity theft and protecting the privacy of our information," the group warned.
"Congress needs to take action, not at the expense of consumers but in creating laws and assisting companies to better control their information.
"Under pending [US] legislation, the only time you will hear of a breach is when a company believes there is significant harm that may occur.
"Responsible corporate lawyers, fraud investigators, computer security specialists and members of law enforcement will tell you that no-one can predict the future or say how a thief might use illegally obtained information."
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml