TSA Bungles and Exposes Employee Information

Data breaches are being reported too frequently - and all too often - they involve government agencies:

Thomas Frank, of USA TODAY is reporting:

The Transportation Security Administration is warning 1,195 of its former employees that a contractor may have mailed their Social Security numbers and birth dates to the wrong addresses and left them open to identity fraud.

The error, acknowledged in letters the TSA mailed in late August to each of the former employees, is the latest in a series of data breaches that may have exposed workers in both private and government jobs to identity thieves.

"Making a mistake like this is abominable," said Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, an advocate for consumer privacy. "You've got an agency whose mission is security."

The TSA is part of the Homeland Security Department. Its 55,000 employees primarily run airport security.

Full story, here.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse maintains a record of data breaches, here.

They also have an interesting newsletter on current federal legislation concerning this subject - which many don't think is the best solution - here.