Skip to main content

ANOTHER data breach, and this one is HUGE

The latest data breach being reported in the press is nothing short of mind-boggling.

Of all the companies out there, you wouldn't expect Equifax, one of the three credit-reporting bureaus in the United States, to be hit by a massive hack, and boy, is this one a doozy: it's compromised the personal information of a whopping 143 million Americans.

And it gets worse.

Equifax is under fire for waiting six weeks before it notified the public last week. Rather than alerting people who were affected, it set up a website that wasn't available for days.

Equifax offered free credit monitoring -- but to add insult to injury, they initially required those who enrolled to waive their right to sue the company. (It later backtracked, allowing people to sue if they sent it written notice within 30 days.)

The beleaguered company added that credit card numbers for about over 200,000 people were exposed in the breach, as was "personal identifying information" on over 180,000 customers involved in credit report disputes.

Equifax CEO Richard Smith has been called to testify before Congress in October.

Aside from being slapped with a huge fine, I hope the company fires Smith and others at the top who could allow something like this to happen. They should provide free credit monitoring for at least five years, not just one.

I've requested my credit report from Equifax in the past, thinking all along that my personal information was in good hands.

If you can't trust the credit bureaus with protecting your personal data, who can you trust?

This data breach is unprecedented and shameful. Equifax is going to have to work very hard to win back the trust of consumers, and rightfully so. Many customers like myself will be going elsewhere for our credit reporting needs.

What's your take on this scandal? How do you feel Equifax should be penalized?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Women vs. Men: Who likes to backstab more?

Whether it's on TV or in the workplace, the general consensus seems to be that women gossip, backstab, and stir up more conflict than men do. But, as with every other topic, I thought it only fair to put this so-called stereotype under the microscope. If you watch reality shows like Celebrity Apprentice, you'll notice it's the women who spend far more time bickering. While the men do at times become embroiled in tit for tat, it's the women who are portrayed as meaner and more hostile. In the workplace, I have noticed that women seem to gossip far more than their male counterparts. I haven't really seen any cases where a person blatantly backstabs the other, but I have caught both men and women in little white lies. If it is true that women are generally more into backstabbing and gossiping than men, why is this the case? I believe that it isn't fair to make a blanket statement like "all women play these games while all men keep to themselves and pre...
1 comment
Read More

Do you have Isolophilia? Find out...

You're probably asking yourself, "What in the world does Isolophilia mean?" It sounds like it would be something negative, doesn't it?  After all, words that end in "philia" (e.g., pedophilia) tend to involve things we want nothing to do with. But Isolophilia isn't something all people deplore. In fact, introverts like me welcome it. Put simply, Isolophilia is defined as having a strong affinity for solitude. It describes a person who relishes being alone. While extroverts can only take so much solitude, we introverts find that it rejuvenates us. In order to recharge our batteries, we need to retreat to a quiet environment where we we're left alone to rest and/or gather our thoughts. Extroverts, on the other hand, become bored and drained when they're alone for a lengthy period of time. Social interaction is the fuel that drives them. So while an extrovert would probably do anything to avoid feelings of Isolophilia in most cases, an...
6 comments
Read More

Men prefer to marry brunettes

Study after study shows that men prefer blondes as girlfriends or mistresses and brunettes as wives . It seems many men see brunettes as more trustworthy and loyal. What's more, even though participants claimed that blondes are better in bed, they feel brunettes are better kissers and more affectionate than blondes. I find these results to be rather interesting. In my high school and early college days, I actually had a preference for blondes myself -- that is, until I hooked up with my now-wife. From that point on, I deemed brunettes as more attractive and marriage material, probably because they reminded me of and more closely resembled her. I think we can blame Hollywood, shows like Baywatch, and Playboy for painting blondes as wild, big chested, promiscuous and loose. (Yes, I know that there are brunettes in Playboy, but they seem to be in the minority.) When someone tells a man to think of an attractive blonde, who do you think likely crosses his mind? More likely than...
Post a Comment
Read More