With concerns over online privacy and information gathering by search engines, Google has come up with a solution, Opt-out village, a 22-acre remote mountain enclave for those obsessed with privacy.
According to trusted news network, ONN, access to the new privacy feature is simple; just click the opt-out button on the Google home page and within minutes, a van will arrive to sweep you away to Opt-Out Village. A team of privacy experts will eliminate your home address and guarantee that will not appear on Google.
John Carter, Director Google Opt-Out Village says that "once in the village there is no chance of Google or anyone else reading your email because there are not computers. " Carter goes on to say that "because they can be tracked, there are no banks or hospitals." Residents will be expected to know how to grow their own food, suture wounds and bury the dead by hand.
To insure privacy, Google provides a 30-foot tall, 10-foot thick concrete data security wall around the complex. The entire complex is encapsulated in a giant metal box so satellites cannot see inside.
Those who check into Opt-Out Village may only opt-out or leave after having a giant scarlet "G" branded on their forehead labeling them as doubters.
For more information see the complete video report on the Onion News Network
Earlier this year, I produced a video toillustrate toconsumers how easily their sensitive information, such as a Social Security Number, can be obtained from local government Web sites. Most local government's don't care, and they'd rather fight to continue to putus at risk than to protect the information we have entrusted to them.
I posted this video on YouTube last January.The video was viewed by thousands of consumers. Many supportive comments were posted, and most consumers were appalled to learnthat their personal information could be obtained both legally and easily by anyone with an Internet connection. I hope that manythe consumers that viewed the videotook action by writing to their local elected officials to request that they discontinue this negligent and irresponsible practice of allowing anyone from anywhere to access our most private information.
One person disagreed with the approach of exposing local government. They wrote the following complaint to YouTube:
Two, three, four. . . counting the number of privacy and security risks as I stand at the reception area of most small businesses. I’ve been praised for pointing out the obvious, before they were obvious—not much of commendation when it’s expressed that starkly.
Hall of Fame Quarterback, Fran Tarkenton (He played for the Bears, right? No, the Vikings), now a legendary entrepreneur and business coach says, ”business people don’t know what they don’t know.“
Not too long ago a high profile executive of a financial institution said to me, “Identity theft! That happened to me, I called the credit card company and they took the charge off my account, it wasn’t a big deal.”
His response is a tribute to a common misunderstanding that consumers have about identity theft—that id theft is credit card or bank account fraud. The example is alarming because a leader of a financial institution should know better. The personal situation that the executive referred to was more likely an account error, not existing account fraud and certainly not identity theft in the pure sense.
In the eleventh hour, the Federal Trade Commission granted a second reprieve to businesses required to comply with the Red Flags Rule today, May Day. The announcement came the day before the Red Flags Rule was to go into effect for more than 10 million businesses nationwide and a million throughout Illinois. The new enforcement date was delayed to August 1, 2009.
Speaking at business forum, I asked the question, “Does your business have a privacy officer?” A young attorney quipped, “Hire an attorney and he’ll tell you if you need a privacy officer?”
It is commonly accepted that all enterprises must have an “in house” official for privacy and information security oversight. It is expected whether your business comprises one or tens of thousands of associates. No employees? Then you’re the privacy officer.
Many people do not understand identity theft, privacy and information security. Executives who lack this understanding can be putting a lot at risk—personal and business. Executives have a fiduciary and social responsibility to do the right thing.
I started an executive coaching series which can be followed on the Examiner.com to help educate business leaders on identity theft, privacy and information security.
There have been over a thousand information security breaches publicized during the last four years. Each security breach teaches a valuable lesson. As business people, we should be asking ourselves if our business has the same type of security problems. Preventing security breaches prevents identity theft and business liability.
On May 1, 2009 millions of businesses and other organizations are required to be in compliance with the Red Flags Rule, a law meant to help curb identity theft. The Red Flags Rule is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and several Federal banking and credit union regulators.Don't let name of the law, the regulators, or the terms "accounts," "financial insitituions," or "creditors" fool you—because it very likely that your organization is covered under the law whether it is a business, government, school or non-profit.
I just completed a three part feature article for the Examiner that provides (1) the rationale behind the law, (2) who is covered by the law and (3) what is required to comply.Note the government and other resources noted in the sidebar of the articles. To read the article go to Chicago Identity Theft Examiner.
