Copyright 2000 Times Mirror Company
Los Angeles
Times
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June 9, 2000, Friday, Home Edition
SECTION: Part A; Part 1; Page 14; National Desk
LENGTH: 311 words
HEADLINE:
GORE PROPOSES PROTECTING SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS
BYLINE: MATEA GOLD, TIMES STAFF WRITER
BODY:
During a quick campaign swing through Los
Angeles on Thursday, Vice President Al Gore proposed a law to make it illegal to
sell Social Security numbers, advocating further efforts to prevent identity
theft.
After touring the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
training academy in Whittier, Gore announced that the Justice Department
submitted legislation to Congress on Thursday that would make it a civil and
criminal offense to sell or purchase Social Security numbers, which are now
widely available through Internet search companies. Gore called for greater
efforts to protect electronic privacy and promised, if elected, to make the
"Social Security Number Protection Act of 2000" law. The bill was introduced by
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.).
"Most people are not aware that this new vulnerability is out there, but
this kind of data peddling is all too common," said Gore, speaking in the
outdoor courtyard of the academy before hundreds of deputies in beige uniforms.
Gore was joined at the event by the parents of 20-year-old Amy Boyer,
who was fatally shot Oct. 15 outside her Nashua, N.H., office by a stalker who
found her by buying her Social Security number online.
Liam Yoens, 21,
who had extensive Web sites devoted to his obsession with Boyer, his former
classmate, was able to buy her Social Security number for $ 45, then locate her
office and stake it out.
"It's actually obsene sic what you can find out
about people on the Internet," he wrote on one of the Web sites.
Later
Thursday, Gore helped raised $ 500,000 for the Democratic National Committee,
attending two fund-raisers hosted by Indian American supporters and other
contributors.
Today, he plans to visit Washington state, where he will
attend an environmental event and address the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO: Gore and L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca
arrive at Whittier sheriff training academy, where Gore spoke about identity
theft. PHOTOGRAPHER: ROBERT GAUTHIER / Los Angeles Times
LOAD-DATE: June 9, 2000 
