Protecting Personal Information Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Protecting Personal Information - Essay Example But there are many concerns which consumers must consider if they want to enter into protected and secure transactions with the seller companies without any security risks involved. They must watch what PII they are going to share with the companies online. Companies might ask them to give their PII like name, address, phone number, e-mail address, spouse’s name, name of parents and children, social insurance number, bank account number or credit card number. Consumers should make sure that the seller companies have a privacy policy mentioned on their websites and that the security of their credit cards or any other mode of payment is also guaranteed. If the credit card number has been given, then the statement must be checked regularly so as to make sure that there are no unknown charges that are not in the consumer’s knowledge. It is also a sensible idea to keep a copy of all agreements, transactions, and communications that have been carried out with the online vendo rs so that a proof is always there in case of complaints- minor or severe.Two of the many laws regarding identity theft are discussed below:Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)CFAA was designed in 1984 and deals with penalties for the intruders who gain access to sensitive information stored in a computer without authorized access. Computers have to be protected when the consumers carry out commercial activities, engage in cross-border e-commerce, and make online business transactions and email communications with online traders.... It is also a sensible idea to keep a copy of all agreements, transactions and communications that have been carried out with the online vendors so that a proof is always there in case of complaints- minor or severe. Laws and Legislation Two of the many laws2 regarding identity theft are discussed below: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) CFAA was designed in 1984 and deals with penalties for the intruders who gain access to sensitive information stored in a computer without authorized access. Computers have to be protected when the consumers carry out commercial activities, engage in cross-border e-commerce, and make online business transactions and email communications with online traders. The Act applies penalties upon the identity thieves starting from 10 years to 20 years of imprisonment. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) This law was passed in order to eliminate the menace of identity theft. The need for secure online networks initially arose when issu es like computer viruses and internet fraud posed a threat to the security and privacy of data stored on online servers and health records. HIPAA was passed by U.S. Congress on August 21, 1996. It deals with the privacy issue of the consumer’s data and presents Privacy Rule which ensures fines and punishments for fraud and violation of the rule. Ethical, Moral and Social Issues It is important to educate the users of internet and computer systems about â€Å"intellectual property rights issues, privacy/ surveillance issues, access to data issues and issues of human-computer interaction† (Stahl, Carroll-Mayer and Norris, 2006, p.298). They should know that