Be Your Own Detective

Georgia data broker Choicepoint confessed to divulging the personal records of 162,000 people to Los Angeles identity thieves. The company claimed it too was a victim, although their sloppy procedures were responsible. A Nigerian later plead guilty in the case, after he found it ridiculously easy to steal the information. Choicepoint claimed they requested the [...]

The Bush Administration has authorized thousands of wiretaps of US citizen’s phones without a court order

Federal regulations now require truckers who haul hazardous materials to undergo full fingerprint criminal records checks. These are drivers who haul everything from toxic waste to gasoline, propane, and home heating oil. The new Federal regulation under The Patriot Act is intended to prevent terrorists from getting ahold of trucks hauling hazardous cargo, they would [...]

Your cell phone records are not as private as you would like to think

If your car or truck is caught on camera speeding or running a red light, the question is who was driving?

Not just big employers anymore but even small companies now are opting for background checks on prospective and existing employees, for driving, credit, as well as criminal records in order to make sure they aren’t hiring people who could be a liability risk.
Overall 96% of employers conduct background checks as of 2005, up [...]

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Tuesday that securing the border is a big challenge for the government.
“We are not in control,” said Chertoff, who toured the El Paso border region.
Chertoff said immigration policy should incorporate undocumented immigrants who contribute to the U.S. economy “into a system that is legal and regulated,” so law enforcement [...]

Thanks to 9-11, and the growing phenomenon of workplace violence, employers are running criminal background checks on anybody who wants to work for them as well as existing employees, and a rapidly growing number of employers are running security clearance checks for professional high-tech jobs. The latest trend I have personally witnessed, is security clearance [...]