Everything you never wanted to know about the UK ID card

The Register has a very loooooong overview of the proposal to implement biometric, mandatory ID cards in the United Kingdom: Everything you never wanted to know about the UK ID card [printer-friendly] | The Register. After the recent bombings, I understand that support for the scheme has swung past the fifty percent mark.

Drugs drive identity theft crimes

The Fresno Bee of California has an article on the connection between methampheatmine addiction and identity theft. The connection is interesting, apparently because meth addicts need money for their addictions and are well suited for the intensive search for personal information:

FresnoBee.com: Metro: Drugs drive identity theft crimes

"...Itheyus Murphy, a former meth addict now serving prison time for identity theft, said he spent many sleepless nights injecting meth and using his laptop computer to assume others' identities.

"When I got under the influence of meth, it was all about money," says Murphy, 26, of Fresno. "Get more money.

"With that drug, I would become a sociopath who would sit in front of the computer."

Murphy says meth addicts gravitate to identity theft because it's profitable and nonviolent: "They are more paranoid. They're more [likely] to do things on the creep. They're nonconfrontational. They don't want to do it face-to-face.

"Identity theft is something you can do from a distance. In their mind, they're further away from getting caught."

Murphy also says that he felt like meth made him more creative: "You're just multitasking. On meth, it's easy. It makes you think more thoughts at the same time."..."

A recent ID theft bust in Appalachia also showed a similar connection:

Major bust ties identity theft to methamphetamine - forsythnews.com

"...Adams said many of the credit card numbers were traded by members of the ring in exchange for drugs, mainly methamphetamine.

Said Moss, "This is a new trend we're seeing in the methamphetamine industry now -- they're diversifying."..."

Children targeted for ID theft in surging numbers

This is one aspect of ID theft that I haven't really seen much about. It is the taking of identities of children by relatives who have already ruined their own credit ratings. Unpleasant stuff and nothing other than identity verification will fix this: Children targeted in surging numbers - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Your Money - Business.

Locking down data and its effect of PIs

Today's Boston Globe has an article on the effect of locking down personal data on the ability of private investigators to do their jobs: Dealing with identity theft - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Business.

Inicdent: hacker may have read applicant files at University of Southern California

Yet another security incident at yet another university. This time, USC is informing everyone who used their online application system in the last ten years that their information may have been viewed by a hacker. See: USC: Hacker May Have Read Applicant Files - Yahoo! News.

More on the Alberta keystroke logging case

On July 1, 2005, I wrote about the recent decision of the Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner about keystroke logging of a public library employee's PC (Alberta Commissioner finds that local library had no authority to use keystroke logging software).

Today, Michael Geist has updated his blog posting on the subject and points to the blog of the complainant in this case, who has written about the incident on his blog Terremoto's Hand Picked Headline News - Served Fresh Daily, and also links to a range of materials related to the case. Interesting stuff.

CardSystems Sets Plan to Comply With Security Standards

Cardsystems, the company that was caught up in the most recent and largest data incident in recent memory, has just announced that they'll be compliant with the credit card industry's security standards by August. I expect we'll hear some ask about the transactions they plan to process in the meantime. See CardSystems Sets Plan to Comply With Security Standards - New York Times.

Data Theft: How to Fix the Mess

The New York Times has done a great job of providing quality coverage and commentary on the recent personal information breaches. Today's NYT has a commentary by Joseph Nocera that draws parallels between what has recently been happening and regulations that were put in place in the 1970's to deal with unsolicited cards and fraudulent transactions. When originally introduced the banks were furious about being prohibited from sending unsolicited cards and about the $50 liability cap for consumers. In retrospect, the author says, the banks should be thankful because it saved the credit industry by giving people much more confidence in the credit system. By not fearing fraudulent transactions, consumers embraced credit cards and this has been a huge windfall for the banking industry.

We have been reading a number of articles in recent weeks about how consumers are growing more fearful of doing business online and are concerned about who has their personal information and how it is protected (see, for example: Online trust is falling, The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Equifax CEO: Identity Theft Is an Epidemic). If the parallels are there, increased regulation and accountability may be negative in the short term but can actually help the industry in the long term. Read the article here: Data Theft: How to Fix the Mess - New York Times.

Online Data Gets Personal: Cell Phone Records for Sale

The amount of press devoted to privacy issues appears to be increasing each week, and not only to report the piles of privacy breaches. Today, the Washington Post is reporting on the availability of cell phone records from online personal information brokers. The article is worth reading and highlights companies such as Best People Search.com. In a related story, the Electronic Privacy Information Center is calling on the FTC to investigate whether such companies are breaking the law.

• Washington Post Story: Online Data Gets Personal: Cell Phone Records for Sale
• San Luis Obispo Tribune Story: Privacy group asks FTC to probe online investigation firms
• Slashdot discussion: Slashdot | Cell Phone Records for Sale

Incident: Tapes containing banking details go missing

I wrote earlier today about a number of backup tapes from one bank that have been reported as missing. Well, it turns out that a number of other banks are affected:

Tapes containing banking details go missing - ZDNet UK News:

"Offsite storage specialist Iron Mountain lost the tapes, which included names and social security numbers for customers of America's City National Bank, on 28 April, and notified the bank last month. An unknown number of other US banks were also affected...."