Techdirt does their usual bang-up job covering the FCC's new ruling that puts further restrictions on pretexting. Unlike the recent anti-pretexting law that was passed in the U.S., which was aimed squarely at the pretexters themselves the FCC action is designed to plug the holes on the other side of the conversation, establishing more secure practices within telecom companies to prevent the exposure of personal data. Better alert practices for consumers and law enforcement are also part of the package. Amongst the consequences of the FCC's new ruling are:

• Phone companies cannot release customer phone call records unless the customer provides a password. In the absence of a password, the company can only send the data to the customers' address of record or call the customer back at their phone number of record.

• Carriers must notify the customer immediately if their password changes.

• Telcos must get explicit consent from customers before sharing calling data with marketing partners and independent contractors.

• Carriers must submit an annual certification to the FCC that includes actions taken against pretexters and a summary of relevant complaints from consumers.

Check out the full pretexting piece from Techdirt, or go straight to the horses mouth and read the FCC's order (Look for date: 4/2/07).

-- MDT

Labels: FCC, identity theft, pretexting, Techdirt

Codename: ONE DOJ. While I can't say for sure, this sounds much like the "The Matrix" or Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange. This was a similar system that was proposed, developed and shelved a few years back. Is this the same program under a new, less machine-led-humans-as batteries-armageddon moniker?

The Maxtrix was designed to aggregate public records along with private data sources (credit headers, etc.) to create one massive personal info chopper. For the time being, ONE DOJ appears to be a much more modest effort, geared toward nation-wide availability of casefiles and investigative reports from around the country.

Techdirt, for its part, will tell you why this is a bad idea (again).

-- MDT

Labels: database, Matrix, Techdirt, Total Information Awareness

And why they think, in this case, rejection was the right move for the courts...

What are we talking about? Well, it goes something like this... Back in a mystical time we call the dot com boom, there were lots of shady practices from internet-based companies that had a URL, a superbowl ad and not much else in the way of prospects for success. In turn, securities class action firms experienced their own boom, filing case after case, chasing busted dot coms on behalf of their investors (and boy, as a young investigator it was fun to be in the thick of it).

Another issue arising from this era has been the allegedly questionable conduct of the Wall Street bankers behind many of these IPOs. It has been suggested that they manipulated the prices of these public offerings in order to reap great monetary benefits for themselves on the backs of myriad small investors who got caught in their double-dealing wake.

There have been some individual settlements relating to this issue, but another suit had been working its way forward, in which the most of the biggest Wall Street banks would have had their dirty laundry aired. Earlier this month, plaintiffs received a serious setback when a Federal Appeals Court ruled that several of the 310 conglomerated cases that are part of the potentially massive class action were wrongfully given "class" status.

While this doesn't mean the case, which is being led by embattled plaintiff firm, Milberg Weiss is dead, it is a certainly substantial setback for one of the longest running class actions kicking around the courts. So why does TechDirt say this is all so much the better? Find out.

-- MDT

Labels: class action, IPO, Melvyn Weiss, Milberg, Milberg Weiss, securites, Techdirt, Wall Street

This kind apparently.

From the fine folks at TechDirt.

-- MDT

Labels: Techdirt

And Mike Masnick does on not exactly have positive things to say about Patricia Dunn's tactics - tactics which now threaten to place HP in the cross-hairs of a variety of Federal and state law enforcement agencies based on the admitted use of pretexting by investigators (or data brokers employed on behalf of investigators) retained by HP at the highest level.

Now, pretexting for financial records is solidly in the illegal column, as per the Graham Leach Bliley Act of '99. Pretexting to accuire other personal information, say, phone records, for instance is a somewhat grayer area. Definitely frowned upon, but, strictly illegal, not really (although in California...maybe at least a misdemeanor).

More (undoubtably) to come.

-- MDT

Labels: HP, Techdirt

Its not as if we didn't see this coming with. The ever-interesting Techdirt has the latest.

-- MDT

Labels: database, Techdirt

I'm not much for podcasts, frankly. Devout Mac enthusiast and and eager early adopter though I am, I'd rather just read. But this ongoing series of podcasts devoted to competitive intelligence could be good fun for those of you who are into that sort of thing. They are put together by one August Jackson, a fellow graduate of the George Washington U. Elliot School of International Affairs. Jackson's background is in telecom (an avid Techdirt reader, no doubt) and his employer is Evidence Based Research of the DC area. And if your of a mind, please do check out the podcasts.

Thanks to the always essential ResearchBuzz for the link.

--MDT

Labels: background checks, Techdirt