Privacy and identity theft - big (government) business?

The Department of Homeland Security has set up a committee to advise them on privacy issues. In theory this seems like a great idea. But the DHS has installed representatives from Cendant, SAIC and Claria on the privacy board.

This is the equivalent of putting Armstrong Williams on a federal advisory board for media ethics.
  Think Progress article

It seems Cendant shared airline passenger information with the government without the passengers' knowledge and consent. SAIC lost some computers containing important personal information on federal credit card holders (more below). And Claria has a questionable past history regarding internet privacy.

What else would you expect from an administration that chooses a torture proponent for Attorney General, a death-squad proponent for National Intelligence Director and a counsel for terrorists and organized crime for Homeland Security Director?

And, I might add to the article's comment on SAIC this from a Venezuelanalysis article in June of 2004...

Venezuelan government officials believe SAIC was using INTESA for espionage purposes in Venezuela due to its strong ties to the Pentagon, the CIA and the NSA. Its current and past board of directors include former NSA president Bobby Inman, former Defense Secretary Melvin Laird, former head of the research and development division of the Pentagon Donald Hicks, ex-Secretary of Defense William Perry, ex-CIA Director John Deutsch, and ex-CIA director Robert Gates. William B. Black Jr. served at Assistant Vice President at SAIC for three years after retiring from the NSA in 1997. Black later returned to the NSA as deputy director in 2000.

Which brings me to this....

February 25, 2005

Last month, a break-in at SAIC headquarters in San Deigo netted thieves “computers containing the Social Security numbers and other personal information about tens of thousands of past and present company employees.” Former weapons inspector David Kay - whose information was compromised because he used to work at SAIC - said, “I just find it unexplainable how anyone could be so casual with such vital information. It’s not like we’re just now learning that identity theft is a problem”
  Think Progress article

February 26, 2005

Bank of America Corp. has lost computer data tapes containing personal information on 1.2 million federal employees, including some members of the U.S. Senate.

The lost data includes Social Security numbers and account information that could make customers of a federal government charge card program vulnerable to identity theft.

Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt., is among those senators whose personal information is on the missing tapes, spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said.
  The State article

I smell a rat. A whole government full of them, as a matter of fact.