GUEST BLOGGER: First-Hand Perspective of U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives Hearing

I had the opportunity to sit in on a hearing on an ID Victim Bill of Right before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee. ITAC testified, as did other nonprofits and government agencies, including the FTC, Justice Department and GAO.

Despite progress, it’s clear there’s still work to be done to help victims, like making it easier to file a police report. But the elephant in the hearing room was the need to prevent identity theft in the first place – through better authentication practices, better data protection through regulation, better resources for investigating cybercrime, to name a few.

There was a lot of great information, but one exchange stands out. Now that medical records are going online, Rep. Eldophus Towns (D-NY) asked if there should be a federal preemption of state privacy laws in order to protect health care consumers. The witness for the Electronic Privacy Information Center said such a preemption would be a “tragedy,” explaining that California has amended existing law to address medical identity theft and that federal preemption would have stifled that.

I know that the FTC is seeking comments on a Health Breach Notification rules as part of the economic stimulus package. But what kind of security can we expect from vendors who handle our electronic records to prevent a breach in the first place?

Kate Ennis
Ennis Communications