So say readers of Daily Caveat fave, The Consumerist, a popular blog devoted to helping average janes and joes get over on the man... Consumerist is a good read and chock-full of handy advice if you're looking to do things like, say, find a great bargain on a flatscreen TV or perhaps weasel your way out of your current, oppressive wireless contract.

The site is a daily stop for your humble author, but seldom does its content have much crossover with the type of thing written about in this space. So of course, Consumerist commenting on Choicepoint, the nation's most prominent data broker and, alongside Lexis Nexis, probably the most utilized arrow in the business investigator's digital quiver is quite interesting. The Consumerist commentary also grabbed a mention in a slightly higher profile publication, The New York Times.

Choicepoint, which achieved infamy over the last few years for a series of security breaches that led to data being accessed and misused by third parties, can take heart in its silver medal status. When it comes to scraping the bottom of the PR barrel, the firm was whipped by an almost 2 to 1 margin by that husky-breathing Darth Vader of American corporations, Halliburton. I guess that's what happens when you let Dick Cheney manage your PR...

-- MDT