Miscellaneous

• Taser International to Introduce Consumer Stun Gun

  Staff Writer | January 06, 2007 9:28 AM | 2 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  I just read today in the Arizona Republic that Scottsdale based Taser International plans on introducing a new consumer stun gun at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. With its perfect record thus far on product liability litigation lawsuits against it relating to its law enforcement stun gun product, I am not surprised to see this company branching out into the consumer...

• Happy New Year!

  Staff Writer | January 02, 2007 9:14 AM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  As we have just entered 2007, I wanted to extend a sincere greetings to one and all for a happy and healthy new year! In this new year, I resolve to continue to discuss tort reform and its implications on consumers' ability to recover for real wrong-doing, force accountability, and make products and services safer. I hope to present the facts in a fairly objective way. Last year was not a...

• Over 100 Million Identity Theft Victims since 2005

  Staff Writer | December 16, 2006 4:26 PM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  The most recent theft of personal data occurred this week when thieves stole a laptop computer containing unencrypted personal and confidential data concerning about 382,000 current and former employees of the Boeing Corporation. According to an online article in Infoworld, the United States hosts a huge number of prospective victims of identity theft, That disclosure pushed the total number of...

• UCLA Database Hacking Undetected for An Entire Year

  Staff Writer | December 14, 2006 9:28 AM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  According to the on-line publication Computerworld, a UCLA computer database containing names, addresses, social security numbers and other personally identifying information about staff, faculty, parents and students was a regular target for a hacker/identity thief over the past year. Amazingly, this breach went undetected for at least one full year. Citing a UCLA information Release,...

• 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...

• 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...