All Topics

• Proposed Congressional Data Privacy Laws Could be Bad for Consumers

  Staff Writer | December 10, 2006 2:40 PM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  Apparently, several major internet-related businesses are going to make a major push to pass consumer privacy legislation in Congress this next year. According to a recent news account from Associated Press, companies such as Microsoft and Hewlett Packard are:preparing to push for data-privacy legislation next year to replace what they consider an outdated patchwork of state and federal laws...

• Consumer Problems with ChoicePoint, Inc.

  Staff Writer | December 08, 2006 9:45 AM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  Have you ever heard of the company ChoicePoint, Inc.? If you have ever done business with an insurance carrier, chances are that ChoicePoint has collected personal and private information about you including your name, address, date of birth and social security number. According to the ChoicePoint, Inc. web site, Since 1997 ChoicePoint has been a leading provider of decision-making...

• Confidential Information Concerning Thousands of Patients Placed at Risk this Week

  Staff Writer | December 03, 2006 7:00 PM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  This past week, two medical providers disclosed serious data breaches involving patient information. The largest data breach involved confidential information concerning 38,000 members of a Kaiser Permanente Health Plan. In October, thieves in California stole a laptop computer from a company employee which contained, information such as the name, gender, date of birth, member identification...

• Arizona One of the Deadliest for Victims of Drinking and Driving

  Staff Writer | December 01, 2006 9:37 AM | 1 CommentPhoenix, AZ

  Arizona is near the top of the nation for a topic which, like golf, would have us all feel better if the score were substantially lower. According to the East Valley Tribune, alcohol played a factor in almost half of all fatal automobile crashes last year. A report prepared by an organization known asEnd Needless Death on Our Roadways, shows Arizona is 15th in alcohol-related fatal crashes,...

• Have You Been Victimized Yet?

  Staff Writer | November 30, 2006 10:21 AM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  Its been almost one week since my Thanksgiving reminder about on-line commerce and data security. Have you made a decision to buy a product on-line yet? Have you received notification that your social security number has been exposed to hackers? If so, you are not alone. Discussing the topic of identity theft, an article in the on-line publication E-Weeek.com, citing the Privacy Rights...

• Shopping Safely On Line

  Staff Writer | November 22, 2006 11:57 AM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  I hope everybody has a happy and healthy Thanksgiving tomorrow. Usually the Friday after Thanksgiving has become the busiest shopping day of the year throughout the country. During this upcoming holiday shopping season, increasingly more and more consumers are shopping on the internet. This year, we have already seen a startling increase in identity thefts and compromised sensitive data and I...

• Public Relations Problems after Data Theft

  Staff Writer | November 19, 2006 9:10 AM | 1 CommentPhoenix, AZ

  Well we have heard many stories about compromised data, stolen laptops, disappearing hard drives and personal information gone missing. Too often we hear corporate or agency executives telling us not to be concerned. Too often we hear suggestions that although sensitive personal data has been compromised, no evidence exists that actually proves thieves have accessed this confidential...

• OJ Simpson Back in the Public Eye

  Staff Writer | November 16, 2006 10:32 PM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  OJ Simpson made history as an athlete. He made history as a criminal defendant who was acquitted of a heinous and violent crime. He again made history when he lost a wrongful death civil lawsuit filed by the families of the victims of the crime for which he was acquitted. This week, he has once again made history. Only this time, it appears that OJ Simpson has apparently confessed to...

• Insurance Institute Vehicle Safety Statistics

  Staff Writer | November 12, 2006 12:35 PM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  In September, 2006, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety came out with a report about the safety of various new cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles. Data from crash, theft and injury reports show actual safety performance for newer vehicles. According to the vehicle safety report:The results show that insurance losses for injuries, vehicle damage, and theft vary widely. Vehicle size...

• Acetaminophen Bottles Containing Metal Fragments Recalled

  Staff Writer | November 09, 2006 9:08 AM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  Today, a manufacturer of store-brand acetaminophen, the headache medicine found in generic form in several stores such as Wal-Mart, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens and Costco, announced that eleven million of its bottles of acetaminophen contained more than just an aspirin substitute. Unfortunately, because the addition to the active ingredient may prove to be a bit hard to digest, Perrigo Company, the...