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The author of this blog, David T.S. Fraser, is a Canadian privacy lawyer who practices with the firm of McInnes Cooper. He is the author of the Physicians' Privacy Manual. He has a national and international practice advising corporations and individuals on matters related to Canadian privacy laws.

For full contact information and a brief bio, please see David's profile.

Please note that I am only able to provide legal advice to clients. I am not able to provide free legal advice. Any unsolicited information sent to David Fraser cannot be considered to be solicitor-client privileged.

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The views expressed herein are solely the author's and should not be attributed to his employer or clients. Any postings on legal issues are provided as a public service, and do not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained herein or linked to. Nothing herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.

This web site is presented for informational purposes only. These materials do not constitute legal advice and do not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and David T.S. Fraser. If you are seeking specific advice related to Canadian privacy law or PIPEDA, contact the author, David T.S. Fraser.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

More reporters getting their hands dirty to expose privacy threats

Yesterday, I wrote about a news report from Nashville about a reoprter going dumpster diving for personal information (PIPEDA and Canadian Privacy Law: Dumpster diving could lead to quick-and-dirty identity theft). Today, a report from the Belleville NewsDemocrat in which their reporters did the same and came up with a load of information from an Illinois state office:

Belleville News-Democrat | 05/09/2005 | Trash bins yield personal data (4/24/2005):
"For 23 job applicants who gave state employment officials in Belleville detailed personal information for work profiles, their only safeguard against identity theft was a plastic trash bag.
But in less than 30 seconds, a reporter last week stopped his car outside the Illinois Department of Employment Security office at 4519 W. Main St., yanked a bag from an open trash bin, tossed it into the back seat and took off.
Instead of containing shredded documents, according to routine state disposal policy, the trash bag held more than 100 records just a few months old listing clients' names, addresses, birth dates, home telephone numbers and Social Security numbers. Besides the 23 applicants who completed the work profiles, there were forms and reports for an additional 41 metro-east residents with similar personal information that could be used by identity thieves to obtain credit cards or checking accounts, commit financial fraud and leave the residents dealing with credit problems for years to come...."

Labels: identity theft, information breaches, privacy