Get Yer Red-Hot Private Info Here

"If you're willing to spend a little money, you can get this type of
information very easily on the Internet," said Givens.

______________
Get Yer Red-Hot Private Info Here
Associated Press
04:04 PM Aug. 27, 2003 PT


WASHINGTON -- Almost everything is for sale on the Internet -- even
the
Social Security numbers of top government officials like CIA
Director George
Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft.

The California-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights
said for
$26 each it was able to purchase the Social Security numbers and
home
addresses for Tenet, Ashcroft and other top Bush administration
officials,
including Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser.

That illustrates the need for stronger protections of personal
information,
the group said.

The CIA declined to comment, and calls to the Justice Department
were not
immediately returned.

Specifically, the foundation is concerned about legislation in the
House
that would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The bill, sponsored
by Reps.
Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., and dozens of other
members,
aims to prevent identity theft and improve the accuracy of consumer
records,
among other things.

While backing the overall goals of the bill, the group's executive
director,
Jamie Court, objected to a portion of it that would continue a
current
pre-emption of tougher state privacy laws.

California Gov. Gray Davis signed such legislation Wednesday, which
allows
consumers to block companies from sharing personal information with
affiliate businesses.

"Banks and insurers should not be able to go to Washington as an
end-run
around the most protective state privacy laws," Court said.

Bankers say the industry highly regulates the sharing of personal
information. Even so, Diane Casey-Landry, president and CEO of
America's
Community Bankers, said there is support for a national standard for
privacy. She said states adopting a patchwork of different rules
could lead
to new barriers for consumers seeking loans and increase the cost of
loans
because of the additional paperwork.

The Bush administration has urged Congress to act quickly to
strengthen the
nation's credit laws and has praised the House bill. It is expected
to come
up for a vote in the first few weeks after lawmakers return from
their
August recess.

A spokesman for Bachus, Evan Keefer, said the legislation has
important new
provisions that will be tough on fraud. He said the issue raised by
the
foundation is something lawmakers would look at in conference, after
votes
in the House and Senate.

The foundation wants to see a strong national law on credit
reporting, but
Court said that should not preclude states from passing even
stronger
privacy protections.

He said stopping trafficking of information among corporate
affiliates is
key because some companies have hundreds of businesses under the
family
umbrella. For example, a banking corporation might have a number of
insurance, securities and real estate affiliates it does business
with, and
financial data might be swapped among all.

"If you cannot stop the traffic in your information among corporate
affiliates, you don't have privacy in this nation," Court said.

In addition to Social Security numbers, he said some online sites
will give
out a person's bank account balance for about $300.

Beth Givens, director of Privacy Rights Clearinghouse based in San
Diego,
said there are at least a dozen sites that provide Social Security
numbers
and other private data.

"If you're willing to spend a little money, you can get this type of
information very easily on the Internet," said Givens.