2005 - Year of the Data Breach

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer advocacy group in San Diego, has counted 80 data breaches since February, involving threats to the personal information of more than 50 million people. The organization defines data breaches as the theft or leak of personal information such as account numbers and driver's license numbers that could be useful to identity thieves.

Previous posts on the issue:

• April 11, 2005 - ChoicePoint "People's Choice" for Big Brother Award
• April 12, 2005 - Potential Theft of Lexis Information 10 Times Worse Than Thought?
• April 18, 2005 - Privacy Commissioner Issues Report on CIBC Privacy Breach
• April 18, 2005 - ChoicePoint Wins Lifetime Menace Award For Its Threats to Privacy