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Never underestimate the ability of Democrats and Republicans in this state
to latch onto any issue or object for the purpose of good old-fashioned
partisan sniping. The latest focus: laptop computers.
It all started when the State Department of Revenue Services (DRS) reported
that an agency laptop was stolen from an employee's private vehicle August
17th on Long Island. That laptop contained the names and Social Security
numbers of more than 106,000 Connecticut taxpayers, about 10% of the overall
taxpayer list.
The DRS is investigating the theft and its impact. Agency officials say the
information on the laptop was password-protected but they launched an effort
to help citizens cope with potential identity theft. Letters were sent to
affected taxpayers and DRS promised them one year's worth of identity theft
protection and $5000 worth of insurance against losses.
Enter Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. The AG said the Rell
administration's response provided taxpayers with "a security blanket when
they need financial body armor." Blumenthal said the state should pay for
two years of identity theft protection, $25,000 worth of identity theft
insurance, and free "credit freezes" and "credit alerts" if their personal
data is deemed at risk.
"The DRS proposal falls short, leaving taxpayers exposed," said Blumenthal.
"They need a firewall, they need protection, they need real insurance, not
the pittance offered," the attorney general declared.
State House Majority Leader Christopher Donovan (D-Meriden) joined the DRS
bashing, perhaps because he's one of the affected taxpayers on the laptop!
Donovan demanded that the tax department step up its investigation into the
theft and beef up its assistance to the public. "Right now, impacted
taxpayers are being asked to clean up DRS's mess," Donovan complained.
Events gave Republican Governor Jodi Rell a chance to fire back. News
reports revealed another security breach involving a computer tape stolen
from the car of an Ohio state employee. Initially it was believed the tape
contained personal data for 58 Connecticut taxpayers.
Accenture, a company doing work for Ohio and Connecticut, had possession of
computerized data from Connecticut and that information was on a computer
tape taken in the theft.
Governor Rell said the lost Ohio tape involved more than a small group of
Connecticut taxpayers. She warned there was "an unfathomable breach" with
information on "nearly every bank account held by state agencies—which could
total billions of taxpayers dollars."
The governor blasted Blumenthal and Democratic State Comptroller Nancy Wyman
charging they did not "fully inform my office, agency heads or commissioners
about the bank data breach."
Stung by Rell's criticism, Blumenthal and Wyman said they had acted
properly, working to safeguard affected bank accounts before the governor
had issued her press release. Blumenthal announced he would sue Accenture
over the data loss, but denied his move was an effort to counter Rell's
criticism. "It's not about politics," he maintained.
While all this hullabaloo was evolving, it was revealed that disappearing
laptops are not a rarity in Connecticut. State agencies reported 28 missing
laptops in the 2006-2007 fiscal year valued at about $62,000.
Thirteen of the missing laptops came from state-run universities. Others
went bye-bye from the Judicial Department, the Environmental Protection
Department and the Department of Administrative Services. The only
consolation? None of these laptops contained any sensitive data, or at least
that's what state officials say about the losses.
However, just this past week, the State Department of Children and Families
reported that one of its laptops containing private information on 41 cases
being handled by the child protection agency had been stolen.
It's clear that beyond criminal investigations into the thefts of the
computers, the state must rethink its policies for safeguarding its
technology and the vital personal data computers contain.
Politicians must realize taxpayers could care less about their games of
political one-upsmanship and partisan sniping. They need assurances the
state is protecting them.
After all, citizens do not have a choice when the state tells them to file a
tax return containing their names, addresses, Social Security numbers and
other highly personal data. Failure to comply could lead to arrest.
State employees at all levels entrusted with such sensitive data should be
required to guard that information with all due diligence, and they should
be told that failure to comply could also lead to arrest!
Posted 9/24/07
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