so today, i was checking my mail at juno and came across this link from usa today when i signed out:
Simple common sense: Low-cost measures could protect privacy.
That the backup tapes in the Bank of America case were shipped as commercial air cargo shows the bank didn’t understand their worth, said Jim Harper, director of information policy studies at the Cato Institute think tank.
“That’s like shipping stock certificates in an envelope,” he said. “Personal data is cash money. If you leave it sitting out on a sidewalk, you’re making a mistake.”
from usa today online.
please read the link. i’ll wait.
are you back? are you crying yet? i mean, really why does a karate shop need your ssn, driver license number and home address? they already know where you live. . . and they know karate. isn’t that enough insurance that you’ll pay the bill? they do not need to get a credit report on you!
what happens when that personal data isn’t just linked to your money? what about if it’s your health care? with the current state of heath care in america, will there come a day when your identity and medical insurance information can be ripped off and used by someone who needs a doctor’s care more than a new plasma screen tv at your expense? or a new leather bustier for that matter?
this reminds me of my post on electronic health records, and some stories i heard this week in the news about hillary clinton and newt gingrich hitching a ride on the ehr bandwagon..
while i hope that hospital security isn’t as lax as at the businesses mentioned in the usa today article, they are, after all, businesses: in the hot pursuit of bigger profits, niggling things like customer data security is an afterthought until it bites them in the ass. then and only then will it become a priority. some folks will get fired, money will be spent–probably on some hack consultants–and then measures will be put into place. that is, until the stock takes a dip and cuts need to be made.
ah, business. when will they understand that without the customer, or rather the trust of the customer, they’re nothing?
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