Originally published November 27 2005
Experts discuss strategies for preventing identity theft
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The roundtable panel at News.com talks with readers about data security and methods for protecting your identity while online.
The urge to try to pick the right security practices is natural, especially among smart, interested people.
But we are talking here about writing general rules that will be applied over the indefinite future.
Is it possible to right a rule now about when encryption should be used in all the future contexts that may arise?
What about the quality of encryption that must be used?
I think the consensus is that it's impossible.
Better to write a rule at a higher level of abstraction, one that focuses on what we really want: consumer protection.
The imposition of proportional liability for harming a consumer through data breach puts the encryption decision with the party closest to the problem--the data holder--and puts the risk with the data holder for getting it wrong.
About this project To address the myriad complexities surrounding ID theft, News.com will maintain this comprehensive page with news and updates until federal legislation is enacted.
It is designed to be bookmarked as a one-stop center where readers can repeatedly get the latest information and participate in various forums to help shape the debate.
Send us suggestions here Apropos of Sen.
Simitian's comment, I would also argue for placing liability on public sector actors - including government officials in their personal capacities--to get the incentives right.
Otherwise, an agency may breach and pay out taxpayer dollars in compensation, but that means little to the people in the agency making decisions.
Simitian cites his A.B. 1219 as a response to criminal identity fraud.
I would be curious to know how many times it has been used since it was enacted three years ago.
Also, I'm still curious to know whether A.B. 700 has reduced identity fraud in California.
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