Author archives

Revised Consumer Protection Laws Guide from OCC

From the Comptroller of the Currency: Other Consumer Protection Laws and Regulations (139 pages, PDF), a revision of a booklet in the Comptroller’s Handbook for Consumer Compliance, updates interagency examination procedures for such laws and regulations as the Homeowners Protection Act, the Consumer Leasing Act, the “Disclosure and Reporting of CRA-Related Agreements,” and the “Prohibition …

Subjects: Government Documents, Legal Research

ID Theft Scam Continues to Generate Controversy

AP reports that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, prompted by colleagues’ requests, has agreed to hold hearings on ID theft and possible regulation of the sale of personal data collected on American citizens. Also from AP, Tips for protecting your identity From ComputerWorld.com: “ChoicePoint’s error sparks talk of ID theft law – The company …

Subjects: Congress, Cybercrime, ID Theft, Privacy

Bush and Clinton Presidential Documents Released For Public Review

Clinton Library Opens Presidential Papers for Research: “The William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum…announced that it is making over 100,000 pages of Clinton presidential records available for research. They represent the first public release of Clinton presidential records since the end of the Clinton Administration.” From the George Bush Presidential Library: Information on release …

Subjects: Government Documents, Legal Research, Libraries

A Three Step Plan to Confront Phishing

Killing Phish. See also the continually updated reports on phishing and pharming available from The Anti-Phishing Working Group and the definitions from their site as follows: “Phishing attacks use ‘spoofed’ e-mails and fraudulent websites designed to fool recipients into divulging personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, social security numbers, …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Mail, PC Security, Privacy

Call for Hearings on Info Broker Data Scam

Press release: Leahy Calls For Hearings On Information Brokers That Are Emerging As Private Intelligence Agencies Tuesday, February 22, 2005: “The ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a longtime champion of the public’s privacy rights, says ChoicePoint’s sale of personal and financial records of thousands of Americans to con artists is a tripwire that …

Subjects: Congress, Cybercrime, ID Theft, Privacy

GAO Calls for Increased Protection of Children’s Social Security Numbers

Social Security Administration: Actions Needed to Strengthen Processes for Issuing Social Security Numbers to Children GAO-05-115, January 31, 2005, Highlights. “In fiscal year 2004, the Social Security Administration (SSA) issued about 4.2 million original Social Security numbers (SSN) and 2 million SSN replacement cards to U.S.-born children. Despite its narrowly intended purpose, today, young children …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Government Documents, ID Theft, Privacy

Interview Details GM’s Take On Blogs, RSS and Podcasting

From NeOn, An open conversation with Michael Wiley, Director New Media, GM Communications about: “GM FastLane Blog, GM’s experiments with podcasting and GM’s plans for further developments with communication channels like blogs, podcasting and RSS.” “We’re big into getting feedback from our customers, employees and others, taking their comments to become a better company and …

Subjects: Blogs, Marketing