From the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Alberta: Amendments to the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) were proclaimed in force on May 1, 2010, and added a new requirement for organizations to notify the Information and Privacy Commissioner of incidents “involving the loss of or unauthorized access to or disclosure of personal information where…
Category: Of Note
UK: Tax records ‘sold to junk mail firms’
Andrew Alderson reports: Experts fear that HM Revenue & Customs has been hit by another security breach, less than three years after it lost the details of 25 million taxpayers. Demands for an investigation come after a woman from Bedfordshire received direct mail using an incorrect surname that only appeared on an HMRC database. One…
Guernsey: Data protection law amended to include prison time
Michael Adkins of Collas Day summarizes amendments to the Data Protection (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law. According to Wikipedia, Guernsey is a possession of the UK and not part of the UK nor part of the EU. Of particular interest to me in their amendments: Section 55(2) has been amended to offer further exemptions to people…
Scottrade sues hacker
Barbara Leonard reports: A Russian hacker broke into online brokerage accounts and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from its customers in a “hack, pump and dump” scheme, Scottrade claims in Federal Court. Defendant Valery Maltsev responded in a statement that said, in part: “Scottrade investors didn’t even see that money were going away from…
Survey: Delayed Compliance with New Regulations Has Increased Data Breaches and Medical Identity Theft in U.S. Hospitals
Although some will tend to minimize survey results when the surveyor has a self-serving interest, the results of the recent Identity Force survey of over 200 hospital administrators provides unsurprising, yet troubling, data. From their press release about the survey: PROBLEMS ARE WORSENING DESPITE MAJOR REGULATORY EFFORTS 41.5% of hospitals have TEN OR MORE data…
Blippy Users’ Credit Card Numbers Exposed in Google Search Results
Blippy’s web site says, “Blippy is a fun and easy way to see and discuss what everyone’s buying.” It may also be a fun and easy way for identity thieves to get your credit card number. Jennifer van Grove reports: Sharing your credit card and online purchases with friends on the web sounds risky and…