If you stop and think about the number of companies that have your Social Security Number and a myriad of personal data that could be used by someone to steal your identity it could be a bit nerve racking considering nearly 700,000 people a year are fighting identity theft. The California Law outlined below which states:
“The law, which goes into effect today, requires all government agencies, companies and non-profits — regardless of size — to immediately notify California customers if they even suspect that hackers or others have gained unauthorized access to customer information.”
The basis of that law could and should be used as part of a National Effort to clamp down on these types of crimes. I use a company called PrivacyGuard to protect my financial assets and have found the service to be worth every penny spent. [Silicon Valley]