Stephanie Barish of NBC provides an update on an as yet unexplained rash of card fraud in Butte, Montana: Swipe and beware. The number of identity thefts in Butte are on the rise. In fact, a staggering 175 people are now part of the scam. “We are cooperating with the Secret Service in investigating the…
Author: Dissent
GBI investigates police data theft
Jim Wallace reports for WALB in Georgia: A Dougherty County Sheriff’s deputy is accused of stealing the identity of an inmate. Sheriff Kevin Sproul says there could be more people involved in the crime and possibly more victims. The GBI [Georgia Bureau of Investigation] continues to investigate. Dougherty County Sheriff’s Deputy Charles Tharpe, a nearly…
3 UMC staffers, another worker fired for violating patient privacy
Julie Steigerwald reports for KOLD in Tucson: University Medical Center says three employees and one contracted nurse have been fired for inappropriately accessing confidential electronic medical records in violation of UMC policy. This comes in the wake of several high-profile patients receiving treatment at UMC following the shooting at Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ congressional event Saturday,…
Hacked iTunes accounts taken off China e-commerce site
Michael Kan reports the latest on a situation previously covered on this blog. The sale of hacked iTunes accounts in China has been dealt a blow as the Chinese online retailer Taobao.com has decided to remove all product listings relating to the sale of the stolen accounts. Taobao, China’s largest online retailer with 370 million…
Securing data will be costly, UH says
Gene Park reports: The University of Hawaii says it needs $1.9 million to tighten its Web security and lessen the chance of future data breaches of individual privacy. In addition, the 10-campus system would need about $764,000 a year to maintain and operate the upgraded system, said David Lassner, the university’s vice president for information…
Security lapses at Statistics Canada
Kathleen Harris reports that a freedom of information request revealed a number of data security breaches involving Statistics Canada: There have been several cases of government-issued laptops containing confidential personal information stolen from employees’ homes or vehicles. In at least two incidents, field interviewers had left a sticky note with the password with the portable…