Sludgereport: RNC sends email containing personal info, social security #s

[truthisfreedom]

this is all he's got so far:

A welcome e-mail that was sent to hundreds of volunteers for the Republican National Convention inadvertently included the name, address, Social Security number, race and other personal information of those volunteers...

yeah, yeah, i know it's not a news source, but it might be news by morning.

[roguevalley]

1. oh great. can you say identity theft?

[bagnana]

2. race?

They probably assign seats according to what color will look best on national television. The bigot party loves its tokens.

[Justice]

3. WOW - remember the eli lilly matter?

So every volunteer obtained the information about every other volunteer. Amazing. I think the social security number is really bad.

In 2001, Eli Lilly and Company customers who used the anti-depressant drug Prozac registered online with Eli Lilly to receive daily email messages reminding them to take the medicine. These messages were blast emails = they came without indication as to the identities of the recipients (the "To:" line in the address section of these messages was blank). People were told that their identities (including his email address) would be treated as confidential medical records.

On June 27, 2001, Lilly sent an email stating that the company was discontinuing the service. However, this email was sent differently. The "To:" included a long, publicly visible list of recipients under the previously blank "To:" line. This list included the email addresses of 669 people!! So every recipient had the email address of every other recipient -- all people taking Prozac!!

The Federal Trade Commission came after Eli Lilly. The error happened after HIPAA (health care privacy) was adopted, but before the privacy rules went into effect.

http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/01/lillycmp.pdf (FTC complaint)

Eli Lilly paid a fine (I believe it was $10 million).

This is just as bad or worse. The name, postal address, etc of people (not just their email address) The social security numbers are covered by GLB (financial privacy) if not more. Those rules are in effect.

FTC numbers: Identity theft cost consumers and businesses $53 billion in 2002 Almost 10 million Americans falling victim to thieves using their name and other personal information, such as a Social Security number or bank and credit-card numbers, to establish credit or buy products. Didn't Congress just pass more legislation on identity theft?

If this is true, the feds, the FTC and several state AGs will be investigating the RNC. Fines, penalties and agreements to do more will occur.

You know, if they can't even protect the information of their most prized volunteers, imagine how they treat the personal information of Democrats...

[Shallah Kali]

4. If that is illegal why isn't the GOP taking church directories illegal?

Could someone from a church who had a member give the church directory to the GOP file a complaint?

[goforit]

6. Great point!!! and it is totally unconstitutional!!!

[goforit]

5. SUE the bastards!!!