Kroll Fraud Solutions Blog – A Dialogue on Data Security

The Endpoint Security blog recently reviewed the actions of a Hollywood Video store that went out of business and subsequently threw old membership forms in the dumpster. The blogger inevitably asks the question: who is to blame here?

The answer, as is usually the case, is complicated. As it turns out, disposal is the Bermuda Triangle of data privacy. Whereas an organization, while solvent, is responsible for protecting its customers’ information, the picture becomes somewhat muddy if the company folds. Unless the data breach occurs before the company is completely dismantled, it’s difficult to pinpoint anyone left to be held accountable for fines or notifications. Further, the organizational assets, like desktop computers, are often sold off to the highest bidder. It’s alarming to think how much hardware may get shuffled about, still containing the records it held at the time the company went out of business, because no one wants the added expense of erasing the data.

Twitter posts, a.k.a “tweets,” seem to have reached a new level of importance or, at least, notoriety, in the last week when the Library of Congress announced that Twitter will share all public tweets since the site’s inception with the Library and Google announced they are making a certain amount of tweets searchable.

Matt Raymond, Library of Congress blogger, said in his post of April 14, “. . . it boggles my mind to think what we might be able to learn about ourselves and the world around us from this wealth of data. . .”

The International Association of Privacy Professionals holds its Global Privacy Summit in Washington D.C. next week. If you will be in attendance, please stop by Booth #4, talk with Kroll’s team of Data Breach Services experts, and take our Interactive Risk Assessment. Kroll is one of a few companies with the resources and skills to provide solutions for almost every aspect of data security and protection, all along the data breach event continuum.

As a way to say “Thanks for stopping by,” we invite you to enter our prize giveaway before leaving Kroll’s booth.

You’ll have a chance to win one of these prizes:

After all, thieves can’t steal what you don’t have. Whenever possible, purge, and shred any records or paperwork once the need for them has expired. Suggested guidelines for individual recordkeeping are available through the IRS.

The actual time span for retaining records varies depending upon the type of information and what it’s used for, so it’s important to seek out best practice guidelines before destroying your paperwork. Nevertheless, reducing the amount of personal information you retain can go a long way towards reducing your risk of identity theft. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks, as we’ll be posting tips that will help you do a little “spring cleaning” with your personal information.

Waiting for your tax refund?

Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery. The longer your mail sits in an unsecured mailbox, the greater your chances of it falling into the wrong hands.

You may also choose to have the IRS deposit your tax refund directly into your bank account, further minimizing the risk of theft.

by Charlotte Rose

Senior Investigator, Kroll Fraud Solutions