Lost Ernst & Young Laptop Contained Hotels.com Customer Data
Headlines like this are becoming more and more common. Last week it was the “misplacement” of data on every Veteran’s since the ‘70’s!
Lost laptop. Contractor steals data. Breach of security.
Full disclosure requirements like the laws in place in California and other states require companies to disclose to every potentially harmed individual when a suspected breach of information security occurs.
Laws like this are a good thing. In the US, you don’t have rights to your personal information. Strong laws to protect your information are needed. But more effective would be significant financial repercussions to an organization that looses data.
The technologies to prevent much of this theft of data exist. But organizations will not be compelled to adopt them until the fear of death is placed in them! So, hit a business where it hurts most, the bottom line.
Here’s an idea. $1,000 per customer record. The money will go to the school district where the victim resides. Of course, this doesn’t offset the cost to the victim in terms of credit restoration.
My girlfriend’s data was stolen in the Hotels.com laptop theft fiasco. The Hotels.com people offered free 3-bureau credit monitoring for a year. That’s a good start… EFS is another good start… lol
Bill