ChoicePoint settles with 43 states over data breach

Consumer data provider agrees to better security, periodic audits

ChoicePoint agreed to bolster security and conduct periodic audits in a settlement with 43 states and the District of Columbia stemming from a 2005 data breach in which the personal records of 163,000 consumers were compromised, various news outlets reported today.

Under the settlement, the provider of consumer data will require written certification for access to consumer reports and will conduct on-site visits to verify the legitimacy of some companies that request data, the Associated Press reported.

Matt Furman, ChoicePoint vice president for corporate communications, predicted the new security measures will ultimately be good for the company, which took a beating in the press after the data breach.

To continue reading, register here to become an Insider. You'll get free access to premium content from CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. See more Insider content or sign in.

ChoicePoint agreed to bolster security and conduct periodic audits in a settlement with 43 states and the District of Columbia stemming from a 2005 data breach in which the personal records of 163,000 consumers were compromised, various news outlets reported today.

Under the settlement, the provider of consumer data will require written certification for access to consumer reports and will conduct on-site visits to verify the legitimacy of some companies that request data, the Associated Press reported.

Matt Furman, ChoicePoint vice president for corporate communications, predicted the new security measures will ultimately be good for the company, which took a beating in the press after the data breach.

“The changes we are making as a result of our conversations with the states are clearly good for our business and, we expect, will ultimately be where the entire industry finds itself,” Furman said in a statement. “In fact, we will be watching with interest as the attorneys general expand their focus on these critical issues across every sector of our economy.”

The periodic audits ChoicePoint agreed to conduct will ensure that its customers in the business world are doing nothing improper with consumer data. ChoicePoint, which will also spend $500,000 for public-education campaigns about identity theft, did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement.