TrustedID Launches StolenID Search Engine
TrustedID has announced what it calls "the first-ever free global service that allows consumers to check a secure database to find out if their personal information has been stolen or compromised." The new service -- StolenID Search -- is powered by "the world’s largest aggregation of stolen and compromised data and contains more than 2 million pieces of information."
The increase in phishing email scams, virus related data loss and higher use of electronic data in the business world, has resulted in 2006 being the worst year for data breaches. According to a November 2006 Gartner study, more than 5.4 million Americans have lost sensitive information to phishing scams alone in 2006.With the simplicity of conducting a search on the web, the new service lets anyone anywhere in the world learn whether key aspects of their identity have been compromised. StolenID Search will initially cover two types of information: credit cards and social security numbers. Individuals can enter their information into a secure search engine (www.stolenidsearch.com) -- to learn if any of their information has been stolen or compromised.
The search results will return a simple “found” or “not found” response, alerting an individual to whether or not their search data matched data held by TrustedID. Individuals who receive notification of a match will be directed to additional resources to take appropriate next steps to protect themselves.
“Identity theft is a growing issue for consumers today and one that is an immense financial and time consuming strain on resources,” said Jay Foley, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nationwide, nonprofit that focuses on identity theft, located in San Diego, California. “A service such as StolenID Search offered by TrustedID is providing an important step in the awareness education of consumers by allowing them to verify exposed data and take steps to defend themselves.”
“The knowledge that your information has been compromised can be critically important in preventing identity theft. The key is to find out about the compromise before the information is used to perpetrate a crime,” said Scott Mitic, CEO and Founder, TrustedID. “Often, individuals are not even aware that their information has been breached, or that the breach may be ongoing. Our search engine brings a much needed, easily accessible solution to help people in this global fight against identity theft.”
Of course the question is this: How many people are going to dare to input their personal info into a search box provided by a company that all but a sliver of the public has never heard of?
http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/10671
Posted by: Paul McNamara | January 23, 2007 at 05:37 AM