Volume III

Issue : 4: February 24, 2005

• Canadian Federal Court of Appeal Issues Judgment in Privacy Case (Englander v. Telus)
• Online Information Broker Sued for Failing to Protect Confidential Database
• New Zealand Restaurant Fined for Out-of-Date Menu Information on its Website
• Canadian Competition Bureau Sweeps Internet for Scams and Spam
• First SPIM Arrest
• Court Finds Jury Members Should not Use Internet for Coming to Decisions
• Dutch Court Prohibits Web-based Gambling
• Motion Picture Association of American Shuts Down File-Swapping Site
• Record Fine for DJ's MP3 Piracy
• Washington State Court Denies AOL Choice of Jurisdiction Clause
• EU Parliament Rejects Proposed Law on Software Patents
• Canadian Federal Government Publishes Its Secure Electronic Signature Regulations
• Lawsuit Alleges eBay's Bidding Practices are Illegal

Home > Volume III > Issue 4: February 24, 2005 > Online Information Broker Sued for Failing to Protect Confidential Database

Online Information Broker Sued for Failing to Protect Confidential Database

A California woman has filed a lawsuit and is seeking class-action status, against ChoicePoint Inc., a company which maintains a database of information, including confidential information such as financial and criminal records, and sells the information to government agencies and prospective lenders. The lawsuit was initiated after criminals had gained access to ChoicePoint's database containing tens of thousands of consumer records containing social security numbers, credit histories and criminal records. The plaintiff is claiming fraud and negligence in that ChoicePoint had failed to properly protect people's confidential information for at least five months. If the lawsuit receives approval for class-action status, the number of prospective class members is at least 145,000, with a claim of under $75,000 each.

For additional information, visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/24/business/24datas.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47258-2005Feb23.html