On March 31, 2020, Marriott International, who I have written about in the past regarding privacy and security issues, announced that the following customer information was likely compromised:
- Contact Details (e.g., name, mailing address, email address, and phone number)
- Loyalty Account Information (e.g., account number and points balance, but not passwords)
- Additional Personal Details (e.g., company, gender, and birthday day and month)
- Partnerships and Affiliations (e.g., linked airline loyalty programs and numbers)
- Preferences (e.g., stay/room preferences and language preference)
For more information about the latest Marriott breach, see Marriott's support site.
As I have written many times before about privacy and security breaches, it is way past time that these issues were addressed and resolved. These breaches keep happening, frequently at the same companies. As I've also previously reported, breaches have occurred (and likely will continue) with voting machines. These serious privacy and security data breaches affect peoples lives.
When will privacy and security be taken seriously and dealt with properly by individuals, corporations, and the government? To purposely be redundant: It is way past time.
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Links to some previous articles regarding data privacy and security issues are below. Read them to understand that these problems have been going on for many, many years and should have been resolved a long, long time ago.
May 2006: Data Security: An Oxymoron
August 2006: Data Security: An Oxymoron - continued
January 2007: So how secure is your PC?
March 2007: Privacy and Security Watch: Stolen Data from TJX (T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods stores) since 2003 Used in $8M Scheme Before Breach Discovery
April 2007: Privacy and Security Watch: More Security/Identity Breaches and Issues
May 2007: Privacy and Security Watch: University of Missouri Hacked For Second Time This Year
May 2007: Privacy and Security Watch: IBM loses tapes with personal information on current and former employees
September 2007: Privacy and Security Watch: Are you giving away your personal or corporate data to thieves?
May 2008: Updated: Privacy & Security Watch: Beware of fake emails appearing to be from the IRS
June 2008: Privacy & Security Watch: TJX Fires Employee for Disclosing Security Problems
June 2008: Privacy & Security Watch: Diebold Summer Sale Offers Used Voting Machines
December 2014: Data Security - Still an Oxymoron these many years later
November 2018: Another Major Data Breach
December 2018: 100 Million Quora Users Affected by Data Breach
June 1019: Commentary: "Data Security" is Still an Oxymoron and An Ongoing Threat
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Richard L. Kuper
The Kuper Report
