Andy Serwin provides background and analysis of yesterday’s Ninth Circuit decision that plaintiffs had Article III standing in a lawsuit stemming from a stolen Starbucks laptop: Standing is a key issue in privacy litigation, and it is an issue related to damages, though courts at times reach conclusions regarding standing that are inconsistent with their findings…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
Colorado’s state computer systems fail “hacker” test in cyber-security audit
Tim Hoover reports that the state’s cybersecurity is not in good shape and that personal information is at “high risk. You can read his report in the Denver Post. While the news may not be good, kudos are due for hiring a firm to try to hack into the state’s systems to determine just how…
Simple fix to bank security breach: Close the blinds
Ivan Penn reports: Major financial institutions spend millions of dollars protecting private information from falling into the wrong hands. But even with all the high-tech gadgetry and sophisticated computer firewalls, sometimes they miss the simplest safeguards — like closing the blinds. Take the Bank of America branch office on the high pedestrian and vehicle traffic…
Alberta’s Privacy Commissioner shocked over digital devices (updated)
A rash of theft and loss of digital devices has Alberta’s Information and Privacy Commissioner scratching his head. In the past month, there have been seven self reported breaches of personal information, each involving a stolen or lost laptop or digital device. Two of those are government computers and personal information is at risk. Frank…
Another report that card fraud was down in 2010
The other day I linked to reports indicating that card fraud was down 56% in Cape Town and 20% in the U.K. this year. Now an article I saw this week on Inside Retailing cites Visa reports that counterfeit credit card fraud is down 45% in Australia this year. Another article, this one on International…
Easy Numbers for ID Theft, Tossed Around by the Military
Matt Richtel reports: The government warns Americans to closely guard their Social Security numbers. But it has done a poor job of protecting those same numbers for millions of people: the nation’s soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. […] That is the conclusion of a scathing new report written by an Army intelligence officer turned West…