It’s hard to find a newspaper, magazine or news report today without seeing a story dedicated to identity theft and privacy. Many pre-employment screeners and other organizations have been putting protocols in place for many years to offset the chance of data being compromised. We don’t view ourselves in the same category as many of these companies that have been compromised however we still have the responsibility to do our best job to protect this private information. The fact of the matter is that most privacy abuses are the result of carelessness on the part of those who actually handle the personal information.

As the ultimate end user of our information, our clients in many cases have the same responsibilities as the Consumer Reporting Agency. The information we provide to you should be handled with the highest level of security. Background Information Services, Inc. could send all reports inside a concrete block requiring 100 sets of passwords to retrieve the information. Once the passwords are entered and the block is cracked open, the report simply sits on your desk, or is thrown in the garbage, it is there for the world to see.

There are a few simple steps you can take to protect the information we are providing to you.

1. Shred, Shred, Shred - If you don’t need the information when you are done using it, shred it. Don’t miss the Compliance Update regarding FTC enforcement of the FACT ACT provision requiring proper disposal of consumer report information, to be enforced as of June 1, 2005
2. Electronic Storage - Put the files somewhere on your computer that is password protected. NEVER HAVE THE INFORMATION ON YOUR PC, ALWAYS PUT IT ON THE NETWORK. If you have a laptop and you lose it, you have now opened this information up to the world
3. Protect your faxes - Always use a coversheet when faxing the information, make sure the documentation is marked "confidential"
4. Policies and Procedures - Develop guidelines for your staff, make sure they understand the importance of the information they are handling
5. Data Security - Make sure everyone regularly changes their passwords for access to their own computer and online systems they might be accessing
6. Use your head - Don’t leave your workstation open with reports visible to the world. Use caution when leaving any confidential information open for people to see
7. Backup Tapes - Make sure your computer backups are kept in secure areas and are encrypted
8. Many other things - There are hundreds of things we can list, using common sense is the most effective way

Responsible handling of information is imperative when developing any type of security program for your company. The last thing a company wants to see is their name in the headlines...