There’s good news and modestly hopeful news from the California legislature on privacy rights. But whether you’ll have a say in what people do with your most private information is still very much up for grabs.
The good news first: Earlier this week the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee passed SB 168, which would give people somewhat more ability to prevent identity theft. Now the bill, which has already passed in the state Senate, goes to the full Assembly and then, assuming it passes, to the governor’s desk.
SB 168’s most useful provision would let people freeze third-party access to credit reports without their explicit permission. It would also begin to rein in the widespread use of Social Security numbers as a common identification. Those numbers are among identity thieves’ most useful tools.
The hopeful news is a reconsideration by the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee of SB 773, a bill it barely failed to pass in a highly suspicious vote several weeks ago. This legislation, designed to give you much more control over personal financial data, is utterly loathed by banks, insurance companies and other institutions that consider your information an asset to be traded and sold.
The committee is scheduled to vote again on Monday. Don’t bet on a better outcome, but there is something you should do this weekend or Monday morning. If you live in California, call your state legislator and insist that he or she take privacy more seriously. Ask if the rights of citizens or financial institutions count more. So far, the answer has not been in our favor.