Stomp the identity thieves
Privacy from Companies
3/5/2001; 8:55:38 PM

'Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country, and there's no doubt that the Internet makes it easier. But while some argue that sequestering personal information from the Web is the only solution, I have seen the future of identity theft, and I believe that approach would prove a complete disaster....

'Regardless of motives, what makes all this thievery possible is the system by which people are issued identification documents, and the practices of verifying identity. The perpetrator only needs to learn a few personal details about his or her target. The credit industry accepts a certain level of risk in doing business, and creditors are more than willing to service anyone who can "verify" personal information against the details already on file with major credit-reporting agencies.'

Apparently, Kevin Mitnick is still allowed to write about computers.