Fed Stiffens ID Theft Penalties, Schwarzenegger Kills California Breach Bill

Fed Stiffens ID Theft Penalties, Schwarzenegger Kills California Breach Bill
George Hulme, Oct 3, 2008

Identity thieves, if a new federal ID theft law is enforced, will now face stiffer federal penalties for their crimes. Federal prosecutors will also have increased leeway to pursue more ID theft cases. Also, for the second time in 12 months, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a new California Data Breach Bill. Was that a good idea?

As anyone who has been following data security is aware, in July 2003 the California Data Breach Disclosure Law (known in those days as SB 1386) went into effect. This law had a profound impact in raising public and policymaker awareness on just how many data breaches were occurring across the country. Before SB 1386, while many security professionals knew there were far more breaches occurring than being reported, it was difficult to find much evidence to prove it. Today, every time a hacker, or anyone without authorization for that matter, could have obtained unencrypted account information from a lost notebook, hacked server, or backup tape: customers are told.

One of the most important aspects of SB 1386 was that it didn’t force technological standards, or best practices, on companies. If certain types of data were accessed by someone who was not authorized to see it and that data was not encrypted, a mandatory breech notification to those affected is triggered.

..Now, the prosecution of data thieves, brings us to the bill President Bush signed last week into law, the The Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008. No more will federal prosecutors need to show $5,000 in damages to bring charges. ...(Full text at www.informationweek.com)

To learn more about Identity Theft and what to do if you are a victim, visit www.StopIdTheftCrime.com and subscribe to the newsletter to obtain your free 46 page eBook "Fighting Back Against Identity Theft".

Remember, estimates are that every 2-4 seconds an Identity is compromised. Why take chances? Why not protect yourself and your loved ones with the best suite of services provided (including restoration) by the best NYSE company in the field? Educate yourself and visit the shameless plug below or call me at (909) 208-3728!

Shameless plug
the Best Identity Theft Protection available dot com

Governor Schwarzenegger gets tough on ID Theft

California Expands Identity Theft Prosecution

California has passed a law that makes it easier to prosecute identity thieves.

State law now allows identity thieves to be tried in the victims' jurisdictions, rather than only in the places the crimes occur.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 612 into law this week. It allows prosecutors to charge people with identity theft in the jurisdictions where the victims live. Without the bill, prosecutions could only take place where the crime occurred, which is usually in the perpetrators' towns or cities.

Sen. Joe Simitian, a Palo Alto Democrat sponsored the bill.

The new law does not require prosecution where the victim lives. Instead, it allows a judge to choose where to try identity-theft cases. Simitian and Republican Sens. Dave Cogdill and Bob Margett introduced the law after a "Governor's 2005 Summit on Identity Theft Solutions" highlighted the problem in a report.

Schwarzenegger said he's committed to protecting Californians' personal information and privacy.

Click below to listen to what the Governor had to say to Id Thieves after he signed the bill.

To learn more about Identity Theft and what to do if you are a victim, visit www.StopIdTheftCrime.com and subscribe to the newsletter to obtain your free 46 page eBook "Fighting Back Against Identity Theft".

Remember, estimates are that every 2-4 seconds an Identity is compromised. Why take chances? Why not protect yourself and your loved ones with the best suite of services provided (including restoration) by the best NYSE company in the field? Educate yourself and visit the shameless plug below or call me at (909) 208-3728!

Shameless plug
the Best Identity Theft Protection available dot com