Scaaty
Vice Admiral
- Joined
- May 31, 2004
- Messages
- 5,180
Get a load of this............ <br />Database giant gives access to fake firms <br />ChoicePoint warns more than 30,000 they may be at risk <br />EXCLUSIVE <br />By Bob Sullivan <br />Technology correspondent <br />MSNBC <br />Updated: 6:38 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2005 <br />Criminals posing as legitimate businesses have accessed critical personal data stored by ChoicePoint Inc., a firm that maintains databases of background information on virtually every U.S. citizen, MSNBC.com has learned. <br />The incident involves a wide swath of consumer data, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, credit reports and other information. ChoicePoint aggregates and sells such personal information to government agencies and private companies.<br />Last week, the company notified between 30,000 and 35,000 consumers in California that their personal data may have been accessed by "unauthorized third parties," according to ChoicePoint spokesman James Lee.<br />California law requires firms to disclose such incidents to the state's consumers when they are discovered. It is the only state with such a requirement but such data thefts are rarely limited to a single geographic area.<br />Lee said law enforcement officials have so far advised the firm that only Californians need to be notified. <br />"The only incident that has been confirmed is in California," he said.<br />ChoicePoint maintains a dossier on virtually every American consumer, according to Daniel J. Solove, George Washington University professor and author of "The Digital Person."