[ news_security_news ]
ID Theft Task Force Nearer To Resolution
Jason Lee Miller
Staff Writer
2006-09-19
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
President Bush's Identity Theft Task Force, formed by Executive Order in May of this year, announced the unit's interim recommendations for cracking down on the problem. The final plan will be presented to the President in November.
"As with any crime, victims of identity theft suffer feelings of violation and stress, but in these cases, victims have the added burden of cleaning up the mess that the identity thieves leave behind," said Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
"The President created the Identity Theft Task Force to oversee the implementation of real and practical solutions at the federal level to defeat this ongoing intrusion into the lives of law-abiding Americans. Today's recommendations move that process forward."
"Conquering identity theft demands that we work as a team to develop tools that strengthen law enforcement, practices that enhance data security, and programs that help consumers in prevention and recovery," said FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras Majoras. "Through these initiatives, we are taking solid steps toward eradicating this persistent consumer problem."
The task force released its goals in bullet points (lots of them):
· Data Breach Guidance to Agencies: a comprehensive road map of the steps that agencies should take to respond to a breach and to mitigate the risk of identity theft.
· Development of Universal Police Report for Identity Theft Victims: the Task Force recommends the development of a "universal police report" that an identity theft victim can complete online, print and take to a local law enforcement agency for verification and incorporation into the police department's report system.
· Extending Restitution for Victims of Identity Theft: To allow identity theft victims to recover for the value of the time that they spend attempting to make themselves whole - for example, the hours spent disputing fraudulent accounts with creditors that may be compromised or spent correcting credit reports
· Reducing Access of Identity Thieves to Social Security Numbers: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) should accelerate its review of the use of SSNs, and take steps to eliminate, restrict or conceal their use, including assignment of employee identification numbers where practicable.
OPM should develop and issue policy guidance to the federal human capital management community on the appropriate and inappropriate use of an employee's SSN in employee records, including the appropriate way to restrict, conceal and/or mask SSNs in employee records and human resource management information systems.
OMB should require all federal agencies to review their use of SSNs to determine where such use can be eliminated, restricted or concealed in agency business processes, systems and paper and electronic forms.
· Developing Alternative Methods of "Authenticating" Identities: Developing reliable methods of authenticating the identities of individuals, such as "biometrics," would make it more difficult for identity thieves to misuse existing accounts or open new accounts using other individuals' information.
· Improving Data Security in the Government: the Task Force recommends that OMB and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the interagency effort already underway to identify ways to strengthen the ability of all agencies to identify and defend against threats, correct vulnerabilities, and manage risks: (a) outline best practices in the areas of automated tools, training, processes, and standards that would enable agencies to improve their security and privacy programs, and (b) develop a list of the top 10 or 20 "mistakes" to avoid in order to protect government information.
About the Author:
Jason is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. He covers business, technology, and security issues.
More news_security_news Articles
Insider Reports RSS Feed
|
|
iEntry 10th Anniversary
RSS
Archive
