A name, a social security number, a date of birth, and an address are all it takes to get a credit card, apply for a driver’s license and other forms of photo identification, make counterfeit checks, apply for a job, get and apartment, or even tamper with a bank account.
Aaron Titus, a law school student, was browsing none other than Google one day, and encountered a seemingly endless, and dangerous list. On this list, were over 80,000 student names, addresses, ZIP codes, birthdays, and Social Security numbers.
The website that got him there, an internal site run by the Louisiana Board of Regents, though completely unaware the information contained on the site was accessible through an advanced internet search, was able to correct the problem within several hours.
“I’d be shaking in my boots. I’d be really, really, freaked out. All of my information is available to anyone who wants it right now,” says Titus.
The Board of Regents is currently notifying all affected people though it may be too late. If it is, the Board is at risk of losing federal funding and facing enormous lawsuits.
"I think we should be less concerned about what happens to them as much as what happens to the people they ave let out -- that's where the real problem is here. I don't think they can ever answer civilly or morally for what they've done," says law professor Julian Murray on the situation.
And it’s true, concerns should really only be had for the potential victims of identity theft. After all, anyone who attended a Louisiana public high school between 2001 and 2003, attended a public Louisiana College or university in 2000 or 2001, or was a staff member of a Louisiana college or university during the same time is at risk.
Sources:
MSNBC.com
No comments:
Post a Comment