Mary Mitchell reports:
Imagine the anxiety of discovering that the information you divulged to one of the city’s leading bankruptcy firms was not kept confidential.
Last month, hundreds of pieces of sensitive documents that were provided to the law firm of Robert J. Semrad & Associates, also known as DebtStoppers USA, ended up in a trash bin in an area the firm shares with other businesses.
The “Client Information Sheets” contained Social Security numbers, full names and addresses, driver’s license numbers and signed debit card authorizations.
[…]
Although there are tougher state and federal laws covering data security, there’s no real watchdog.
Neither the Department of Streets and Sanitation nor the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection has ever written a violation for the improper disposal of sensitive documents.
Read more in the Chicago Sun-Times.