Metauser

Politicians because they have you in mind

August 29, 2006 Posted by mitch | politics | 0 Comments

Here's another rant about an article that showed up in the Salt Lake Tribune today... its titled: Protecting data: Bennett's bill favors businesses over consumers. I'll summerize it real quick if you don't want to read it yourself... It comes down to who's responcible for protecting *YOUR* personal identification information? In the age of Identity theft, its true that its ultimately our responcibility to protect our own identity. However, businesses that require this sacred information for whatever purpose, and store it also have a responcibility to you, to keep it safe. That means that if these businesses were to loose that information or somehow this information were to be compromized, by a cracker (yes cracker is the correct term *NOT* hacker as the media types like to use) or a lost/stolen laptop. They should be required to inform you of this information should they not? They also should be responcible for the outcome of said compromize. Well good o'll Sen. Bob Bennett thinks that even the first thing is to much and to costly for businesses. Yeah, thats right. Notifying you that they have lost or there was a possible compromize of your personal information is not "cost effective" for a business to notify you about. I ask then, why is this information imporant for them to have? Oh thats right, it allows them to make money, and this pesky thing of notifying "customers" about this breech could hurt their reputation, cost them future and current customers, and cost them alot of money as well.... hmmm yeah, I can see why its in their best interests to have this law...

Which brings me back to Mr Bennett, showing his true colors isn't he. Hes not out for his voting public, hes out for this company that most likely gave something to Mr. Bennett for which he was able to personally benifit from. As for the people, the "consumers", they get the shaft. Thanks so much!

What I think should happen in the very least, is that these companies that retain this personal and confidential information on their consumers, should become legally responcible for it. If the information is compromized in *ANY* way, the customers affected should be notified within 20 - 30 days(maximum! I would personally say a week or less). Also the company is also legally responcible for clearing said customers credit if it turns out that they are an unfortunate vicitim of Identity theft. This includes all financial problems resulting from such fraud. I would also leave it open to emotional distress resulting from the effects of having your identity stolen. Yes I very well understand the implications of these requirements, and that they could bankrupt companies because of it. However, *THAT* is just how important this information is. The idea is, that it would make the company NOT want to retain this information if it really doesn't need to. Also, they would stop storing this information on Laptops, which, to me, is insane. It would, by default, enforce the use of encryption, and I think it would even help with the push for greater broadband speeds and the like over the longer term. Being a geek myself, I love the thought of getting more bandwidth.