Identity Theft Prevention In the News

Now that the Christmas buying frenzy is over, consumers may be surprised by who has access to their personal information, according to a privacy report released Wednesday by the California Public Interest Research Group.

“This holiday shopping season millions of consumers surrendered their personal information to retailers across the country with no idea how or with whom that information is shared,” said Pedro Morillas, CALPIRG Consumer Advocate.

Currently, consumers can request an accounting of a company's information-sharing practices. But Morillas said a survey found that more than one-third of consumers reported receiving no response at all to their request for information .

Calpirg is urging policymakers to require companies to get an affirmative “opt-in” from consumers before sharing their information with third parties, as opposed to the current practice of requiring consumers to opt out in order to protect their privacy.

According to the Office of Privacy Protection, in 2006 there were eight million victims of identity theft in the U.S. One million of those people were from California.