The Associated Press is reporting: The Veterans Affairs Department has agreed to pay up to $20 million to veterans for exposing them to possible identity theft in 2006 after losing their sensitive personal information. In court filings Tuesday, lawyers for the VA and the veterans said they had reached agreement to settle the veterans’ lawsuit…
Author: Dissent
NY: Personal info found littered on street
Eyewitness News made a stunning discovery on the streets of the Upper West Side Monday night. Scores of documents were found strewn on the street for anyone to pick up…. There were copies of bank statements, 401k statements, credit reports, tax returns and more driver’s licenses than we could count. […] The documents belonged to…
Cherokee Church GA: Computer Stolen Just Feet Away From Pre-School Class
Members of a Cherokee County church [the Woodstock Presbyterian Church] are furious someone would slip inside their building just feet from a pre-school class and steal a laptop. Church leaders said they worry some members could become victims on identity theft and the church’s bank accounts are vulnerable. […] But it’s more than just hurt…
Groups push for health IT privacy safeguards
Grant Gross provides more on reactions to the stimulus bill provisions involving IT and privacy: U.S. lawmakers need to make sure privacy safeguards are in place before pushing electronic health records (EHR) on the public, senators and witnesses said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today. Health IT improvements are needed to improve the quality…
Washington state CUs introduce data breach bill
In the wake of the Heartland Payment Systems data breach announced last week, Washington state’s credit unions once again have introduced legislation to encourage financial institutions to take “extraordinary proactive steps” to protect consumers from identity theft and financial fraud after a breach. Receiving its first hearing before the Full House Financial Institutions and Insurance…
U.S. Consulate Mistakenly Sells Secret Files in Jerusalem
Hundreds of files — with social security numbers, bank account numbers and other sensitive U.S. government information — were found in a filing cabinet purchased from the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem through a local auction. […] The files contained social security numbers of U.S. Marines and State Department employees stationed in Israel, and documentation of…