A few weeks ago, at a Congressional hearing, a retired Air Force officer testified about his traumatizing first-hand encounter with identity theft.  He and his wife discovered that their credit had been all but destroyed after someone used their names and Social Security numbers to open 33 fraudulent accounts with a total value of $113,000.  Unfortunately, tales like this are becoming all too familiar as personal information becomes more and more accessible to outside parties.

Information about the most personal aspects of our lives can be bought and sold by corporations for marketing purposes.  Information as innocent as name, address and phone number or as intrusive as a detailed summary of personal finances, including bank account balances and investment portfolios, is easily accessible.   In addition, Social Security numbers, once regarded as extremely private information, have now become personal identifiers.  Many businesses require a Social Security number as a form of identification.  And as this information becomes more widely disseminated, the wall of privacy we have taken for granted for so long has begun to crumble.

In an effort to address this issue, I have introduced the Personal Information Privacy Act.  This legislation would provide consumer privacy protections in a number of ways.  It prohibits the purchase or sale of Social Security numbers without the owner's written consent, and it goes a step further, prohibiting the use of an individual's Social Security number for identification purposes without written consent from the owner.  Finally, my legislation would protect consumers who decline to give their Social Security numbers to businesses.   Those companies who refuse to do business with anyone because they choose not disclose their Social Security number would be treated as engaging in an unfair or deceptive business practice, which is illegal.

My legislation also provides other privacy protections.  Unless consumers provide prior written permission, credit reporting agencies would be forbidden from distributing their credit report.  Further, the sale or transfer of a consumer's transaction information, which is a history of past purchases,  for marketing purposes would also be prohibited unless the consumer gave written consent.  These are small, common-sense steps which will make a huge difference in restricting the amount of our personal information that businesses are allowed to buy and sell.

Congress must be more proactive in addressing the growing threat of identity theft and take serious steps toward protecting consumer privacy.  Social Security numbers are not personal identifiers, and businesses must stop using them as a part of every day commerce.   Legislation like the Personal Information Privacy Act is a step in the right direction.  It will help curtail the rampant invasion of our privacy, and not a moment too soon.  We have the right to determine when and how our personal information is being used, and what we buy and where we buy it is no one's business but our own.