http//news.com.com/2100-1019_3-5070601.html?tag=fd_top Tech firms band together on ID theft
By Alorie Gilbert Staff Writer, CNET News.com September 2, 2003, 7:10 PM PT Some of the biggest names in e-commerce, including Amazon.com, eBay and Microsoft, have formed a coalition to curb online identity theft. The Coalition on Online Identity Theft, announced Tuesday, said it plans to launch a public education campaign and encourage its members to work more closely with law enforcement officials in an effort to fight a crime that has emerged as a major concern among politicians and consumers in recent years. The group is being organized by the Information Technology Association of America, a trade group representing the high-tech industry. "We all agree we want to do something about this and nip this in the bud," said Greg Garcia, vice president of information security at ITAA, claiming a small percentage of identity theft cases actually begin online. Statistics show that identity theft has moved well past the bud stage to reach the level of full-blown weed infestation in recent years. The number of U.S. consumers that complained about some sort of identity theft nearly doubled to 162,000 last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. And government figures only scratch the surface, technology analyst firm Garter said. Gartner estimates that 3.4 percent of U.S. consumers--about 7 million adults--have been victims of identity theft of some form in the past year. .. snip .. -- Internet trivia, 20th anv: http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/rfcietff.htm
