UNIT 4: TECHNOLOGY AND PRIVACY invaded a right to bring a lawsuit for damages

against the person or entity that intruded.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Discuss the difference between privacy and 3. Identity theft - is the deliberate use of someone
security. else's identity, usually as a method to gain a
2. Explain various risks to Internet privacy financial advantage or obtain credit and other
benefits in the other person's name, and perhaps to
OVERVIEW the other person's disadvantage or loss. The person
Data privacy, also called information privacy, is the whose identity has been assumed may suffer
aspect of information technology (IT) that deals with adverse consequences, especially if they are held
the ability an organization or individual has to responsible for the perpetrator's actions.
determine what data in a computer system can be
shared with third parties. Identity theft - is when someone steals your
personal information and uses it without your
permission. This information could consist of your
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS name, address, date of birth, social security
number, etc. When your personal information is
2. Invasion of privacy - is the intrusion into the stolen and used to commit a crime or some type of
personal life of another, without just cause, which fraud, that's considered identity theft.
can give the person whose privacy has been
Identity Theft Protection Services
The following are some of the primary features
provided in identity theft protection services:
 ● Social Security Monitoring first name, date of birth, biometrics data, fingerprints,
● Social Media Monitoring DNA).
● Address Change Verification
● Pay Day Loan Monitoring Privacy Right – Data Privacy Act 2012
● Court Record Monitoring Chapter 1, Section 2: Declaration of Policy - It is the
● Sex Offender Registration policy of the State to protect the fundamental human
● Bank and Credit Card Activity Alerts right of privacy, of communication while ensuring
● Credit Score Monitoring free flow of information to promote innovation and
● Credit Score Reporting growth. The State recognizes the vital role of
● Bank Account Takeovers information and communications technology in
● Identity Theft Insurance Coverage nation-building and its inherent obligation to ensure
that personal information in information and
CONCEPTIONS OF PRIVACY AND THE VALUE communications systems in the government and in
OF PRIVACY the private sector are secured and protected.

Who would want their personal information to be Why Privacy matters?

accessible by anyone, anytime? None right? That is
why all human beings value their privacy, their space 1.Limit on Power - The more someone knows
for personal life. But due to technological advances, about us, the more power they can have over us.
some people can access our valued information. Personal data is essential to make important
They can search, collect, and store data concerning decisions in our lives. Once that data lands into
phone conversations, internet searches, and someone’s hand, they can use that information to
electronic payments. influence our decisions and shape our behavior. It
can used as a tool to exercise control over us.
1. Privacy According to Cambridge Dictionary,
it is the state of being alone, or the right to 2.Respect for Individuals - Privacy is about
keep one’s personal matters and respecting individuals. Every person has a reason
relationships secret. why they want to keep something for themselves,
Gillian Black, in her 2011 book on Publicity rights, and we need to respect that.
states that privacy is the desire of an individual to be
free of intrusion. 3.Maintaining Appropriate Social Boundaries -
Discussions about privacy relate to the use of People set boundaries from others in society. May it
technology. In an article written by Samuel Warren be physical or informational boundary. There are
and Louis Brandeis, they argued that every human times that we want space or a place to be alone. Or
being has the right to be left alone and this article for some people, they don’t want too much physical
fueled a debate about the claims for the right of contact to other people.
individuals to determine the extent to which others
have access to them and claims for the right of the 4.Trust - In relationships, whether personal or
society to know about individuals. professional, we depend upon trusting the other
party. In professional relationships such as our
Constitutional Privacy and Informational Privacy relationships with doctors and lawyers, this trust is
Constitutional or Decisional Privacy refers to then the key to maintaining candor in the relationship.
freedom of a person to make one’s own decision When trust is breached in one relationship, it could
without interference by other people regarding make us more reluctant to trust in other
matters seen to be intimate and personal decisions. relationships.
While the Informational Privacy refers with the
interest of individuals in exercising control over 5.Freedom of Thought and Speech - Privacy is
access to information about themselves. Personal one of the keys to freedom of thought. A watchful
Data According to the law, personal information eye over everything we read, or watch can chill us
meae.g.,ny information relating to an identified or from exploring ideas outside the mainstream.
identifiable individual; an identifiable person is one
who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in 6.Freedom of Social and Political Activities -
particular by reference to an identification number Privacy helps protect our ability to associate with
(e.g. social security number) or one or more factors other people and engage in political activity. A key
specific to his physical, physiological, mental, component of freedom of political association is the
economic, cultural or social identity (e.g. name and ability to do so with privacy if one chooses. The
watchful eye can disrupt and unduly influence these 20 TYPES OF IDENTITY THEFT AND FRAUD
activities.
Identity theft has become big business for criminals:
7.Ability to Change and Have Second Chances - 15.4 million Americans were victims of identity theft
People are not static; they change and grow in 2016, according to Javelin Research. ID theft has
throughout their lives. There is a great value in the been among the top consumer complaints with the
ability to have a second chance, to be able to move Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the last 17
beyond a mistake, to be able to reinvent years and ranked as the #1 consumer complaint
oneself. Privacy nurtures this ability. It allows people from 2000 to 2015.
to grow and mature without being shackled with all
the foolish things they might have done in the past. Knowing where identity thieves are looking for your
personal data can help you protect yourself from
8. Not Having to Explain or Justify Oneself - An becoming a victim of ID theft. Make sure you
important reason why privacy matters is not having understand how to check your credit report for ID
to explain or justify oneself. We may do a lot of theft and be on guard against the "classic" forms of
things which, if judged from afar by others lacking ID theft, as well as new and different types of fraud
complete knowledge or understanding, may seem that can occur:
odd or embarrassing or worse.
1. Driver's License Identity Theft
Online identity theft - happens when someone Driver's license theft is the most common form of ID
steals your personal information (name, Social theft. The person who stole your ID may try to buy
Security number, credit card information, etc.) for items under your name and get other forms of
financial gain and other highly illegal purposes. identification with their picture which can lead to
Hacking a computer or mobile device is quickly criminal identity theft. You may want to consider
becoming the most likely way your identity could be adding an initial security alert to your credit file if
stolen. your driver's license is stolen.

2. Mail Identity Theft

Mail identity theft is one of the oldest ways for a
criminal to steal your personal information. If your
mail has been stolen a thief may be able to retrieve
your financial account information to make
purchases or open new credit cards. They could also
change your address on your statements or bills.

According to the US Postal Service's Annual Report,

it received over 60,000 complaints of mail theft in
2016, which resulted in over 2,000 convictions. If
you think your mail has been stolen you can file a
mail theft complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspection
Service.

3. Debit Card Fraud or Credit Card Fraud

Credit card fraud or debit card fraud is when
someone uses your credit card or credit account to
make a purchase you didn't authorize. Fraudsters
can also steal your credit card account number, PIN
and security code to make unauthorized
transactions, without needing your physical credit
card.

4. Online Shopping Fraud

Online shopping fraud or ecommerce fraud occurs 8. Child Identity Theft
when a criminal leverage stolen payment information Child identity theft may not be as common as other
or fraudulently acquired bank or credit card accounts types of ID theft, but it is very attractive to thieves.
to attempt retail transactions without the account That is because there is usually no credit history
owner's knowledge. The items purchased are then established for the children who become victims.
shipped to an address other than victim's where the Scammers sometimes use children's Social Security
stolen items are sold or shipped overseas. numbers and other information to open new
accounts, apply for government benefits, take out
Online shopping fraud increased after the new chip loans, and more. The child may not know their credit
credit cards were implemented in the U.S., causing has been used to run up debt in their name until it's
fraudsters to shift their attention online. Ecommerce time to apply for school or car loans.
fraud increased more than 30% in the first six- 9. Tax Identity Theft
months of 2017, according to Experian. Tax identity theft happens when fraudsters have
your name and Social Security number and file a tax
5. Social Security Number Identity Theft return in your name before you file yours. In some
Social security number (SSN) identity theft can cases, the fraudsters use fake income and
usually happen from data breaches or Tax ID theft. If withholding numbers so they can get a bigger refund
you start to notice mail that lists the wrong last four check sent to their address.
digits of your SSN or the wrong name or address
this may be a sign of fraud or ID theft. Make sure to 10. Biometric ID Theft Biometric ID theft is when the
check your credit report, Experian does list all other physical or behavioral characteristics used to verify a
Social Security numbers reported as belonging to person's identity through a device are stolen. These
you because they may be a sign of fraud, or characteristics are measurable, such as a fingerprint
hopefully just the result of a typo from someone or voice recognition "Hey, Alexa", that can be copied
wrongly entering information on a loan or credit and recorded. These attributes are unique to
application. individuals but in the wrong hands can be used to
manipulate devices or people.
6. Account Takeover Identity Theft
Account takeover fraud occurs when criminals gain 11. Criminal Identity Theft Criminal identity theft is
or have access to your bank or credit card accounts when a criminal gives your information to a police
—usually because of a data breach, phishing scam, officer or law enforcement. This can happen when
or malware attack—and start making charges to your ID is lost or stolen and in the possession of a
those accounts. criminal. They provide your name and information if
arrested, which could show up on a background
7. Senior Identity Theft/Senior Scams check for you or result in a warrant issued under
Senior identity theft or senior scams are very your name. If you believe you are a victim of criminal
common as older Americans may not be checking identity theft you may consider signing up for an
their accounts or financial reports often since they're identity theft protection product.
typically not opening as many new accounts or
seeking new credit. The FTC reported that 37% of 12. Synthetic Identity Theft Synthetic identity theft
Americans who are 60 years or older made fraud is the fastest-growing type of ID fraud, representing
complaints in 2016; 20% of those complaints were 80-to-85% of all current identity fraud, according to
for ID theft. Seniors can fall victim to scammers if the FTC. Synthetic ID theft merges real and fake
they trust the wrong person, who may develop a personal consumer data to create a new identity
relationship over time by preying on them over the using information such as Social Security numbers,
phone or via email. names, addresses, and birthdays that can be bought
on the dark web.

13. New Account Takeover

New account takeover or new account identity theft
is when a criminal creates a new account under your
name using personal information, they received from
stealing your data, either directly or via a data
breach. It is a combination of both synthetic identity
theft and account takeover theft.
14. Medical Identity Theft Employment identity theft is when a criminal applies
Medical identity theft can be harder to discover than for a job using your Social Security number or ID.
other types of ID theft because it happens when Employers report income to the IRS under your
someone steals another person's identity to obtain name, and the government expects you to pay taxes
medical services. As a result, no one may notice for on all income earned in your name. The best way to
a while or until the victim receives a statement for spot this is to review your credit report to find
care that they never received. More than 27% of anything that you don't recognize.
data breaches in 2017 were medical or healthcare
related. By reading your claims received in the mail, 19. Bust-Out Fraud
reviewing in detail any statement of benefits, or Bust-out fraud is first-party fraud scheme and a
going online to check existing claims you can deliberate form of fraud or ID theft that is also known
monitor all medical activity done in your name. as sleeper fraud. It occurs when a consumer applies
for credit and uses their own name or a synthetic
15. Loan Stacking Fraud identity with the intent of maxing out all available
Loan stacking fraud occurs when multiple loans are credit and eventually disappearing. Lenders are left
taken out by borrowers who slide through today's assuming all the risk as a result and bust-out fraud
automated approval process. Consumers love the can happen from people using synthetic IDs or loan
ease of access to these online loans and so do stacking methods.
fraudsters. Loopholes in online lending marketplaces
can result in multiple lenders making loans to the 20. Internet of Things Identity Theft
same (fake) borrowers, often within a short period, Internet of Things (IoT) identity theft is when your
without the full picture of their rising obligations and smartphones or tablets are paired with consumer
declining ability to pay. Loan stacking can affect products such as cars, heart monitors and
consumers if these loans are taken out in their household appliances that are connected to the
name. Internet, creating an opportunity for hackers to steal
your data. Sometimes these connected products can
16. Mortgage Fraud have security flaws, creating a point of weakness
Mortgage fraud occurs when a borrower, broker or around the victim's personal data that leads to the
an appraiser lies about information on the IoT fraud.
application for a mortgage loan. They may do this to
get approved for a bigger loan or just to get the loan What Should You Do If You're an Identity Theft
approved. During the mortgage crisis, Experian Risks
estimated that first-party fraud—like loan stacking— Four Ways to Reduce the Risk of Identity Theft
may have accounted for more than 25% of all
consumer credit charge-offs in 2009. After the There's no surefire way to avoid becoming a victim
housing crisis, more stringent approvals were put in of identity theft. Even if you're extra careful with how
place. you handle your personal information online, it still
may be susceptible to data breaches and other
17. Auto Lending Fraud Auto lending fraud can be attacks from hackers.
the same as mortgage fraud or loan stacking fraud
and occurs when a consumer, a dealer or auto There are, however, some steps you can take to
lender submits or accepts a fraudulent consumer reduce the risk of identity theft, and even to make
application for credit. Auto dealers can be more your information less valuable to a criminal who gets
concerned about getting customers into a vehicle their hands on it.
versus doing a thorough identity verification process.
Those identity verifications are likely not cross- 1. Monitor Your Credit
checked to prevent synthetic ID fraud that can result While it's possible for someone to steal your
in loan application losses. At the same time, the information by taking your purse or wallet or
borrower may be falsifying information on the loan burglarizing your home, many incursions that lead to
application in order to get approved for the car. If identity theft occur without the victim knowing.
approved and the loan goes unpaid, the lender takes
a loss. To make sure nobody has opened new accounts
under your name, make sure to check each of your
18. Employment Identity Theft credit reports at least yearly. You can get your
Experian, Transunion, and Equifax credit reports for
free at AnnualCreditReport.com.
 purchasing a lockbox you can store them in at your
If possible, pull one report every four months so that house.
you're looking at your reports throughout the year.
Through Experian, you can get a free copy of your
Experian credit report every 30 days as well as free 3. Secure Your Online Data
credit monitoring, which provides alerts about new Stopping mail fraud is straightforward, but protecting
inquiries, accounts, and suspicious activity. yourself online can be a lot trickier because criminals
employ many tactics to steal your identity. Here's
If you notice fraudulent activity, dispute it with the what you need to do:
lender and the bureau. Also, consider freezing your
credit reports and request a fraud alert be added to Be cautious with links: Phishing scams involve a
them if you've been victimized. thief using email to trick you into giving them
personal information. These messages often look
With a credit freeze, no one can view your credit like they're coming from a reputable business and
reports, including lenders. So, if a thief steals your can take an eagle eye to spot. If something seems
Social Security number and plans to open credit off about an email that's asking you to click a link to
accounts in your name, they'll be denied. Keep in an offer or action, don't click. Instead, hover your
mind, though, you'll also be denied for legitimate cursor over the link and check the destination URL.
applications unless you lift the freeze. If you place a If the link would take you to a different website than
fraud alert, creditors are encouraged to contact you you were expecting, or seems otherwise illegitimate,
and verify your information (and that you applied for ignore it. Additionally, these emails can include
the loan or credit card in question) before approving attachments that, if opened, install information-
the application. gathering malware.
Monitor your online accounts: Staying up to date on
2. Keep Your Personal Documents Safe changes to your financial accounts can be helpful in
Online identity theft is more common than it used to catching fraud as soon as it happens. Set up push
be, but it's still possible for criminals to gain access notifications on your smartphone or other mobile
to your credit card numbers, bank account devices and pay attention to any alert emails you
information and other sensitive information on paper. may get from financial institutions.
Here are ways to safeguard your documents:
Be careful with public Wi-Fi: Public Wi-Fi can be a
Request electronic statements: Doing this eliminates convenient way to get access to the internet. But
the paper trail financial account statements create. whether you're at a coffee shop or the airport, be
Mail fraud is considered old school, but it's still alive careful about what you do while you're online.
and well. It's best to have financial statements Hackers and others can set up their own free Wi-Fi
delivered to your secure email inbox rather than your networks and use them to scrape your data. Even
mailbox. legitimate Wi-Fi networks can be hacked, allowing
Keep your mail safe: If you do receive paper the thief to "eavesdrop" on your connection and steal
documents with personal information, see if you can data. Make sure the network you are connected to is
add a lock to your mailbox or use a P.O. box as your legitimate and can be trusted, and use a virtual
mailing address. You may also want to consider private network, or VPN, to add an extra layer of
having smaller packages delivered to your work security and prevent eavesdropping.
address, so you receive them during the day versus
having them left unattended on your porch. If you Watch out for unsecure websites: Before you enter
are going to be gone for a while, ask someone to payment or other personal information into a
pick up and hold your mail for you, or request a hold website, check to make sure it's secure and
with the U.S. Postal Service until you return. trustworthy. If the URL starts with "HTTP" instead of
Buy a shredder: If you plan to throw out financial and "HTTPS," it's not secure and hackers can eavesdrop
other sensitive documents, shred them first. This can and steal information you share. Even if the site
take a little extra time but adds a layer of protection does have a secure connection, it can still be a front
against dumpster-divers. for a scam. If you don't recognize the name of the
Lock it up: There are some documents—your Social company, be diligent to make sure it's legitimate and
Security number, recent tax returns, birth certificate trustworthy.
and more—you can't get rid of. Consider getting a
safe deposit box at a local bank branch or 4. Create Strong Passwords
Society is so integrated with technology that it's easy
to have scores of online accounts. As a result, it can
be tempting to create one easy-to-remember
password and use it everywhere.

Unfortunately, scammers have gotten good at

guessing passwords using publicly available
information and social engineering—for example,
asking you about your pets, children, other family
members and more. And once they have your
password for one website, they'll have it for all the
other sites you use it on.

To help minimize the damage, create a unique,

strong password for every online account. The
strongest passwords are long, random strings of
letters, numbers, and symbols, and it would be
impossible to memorize each one. For that reason,
you could use a password manager such as
LastPass or 1Password to securely store all of them
in a place that's easily accessible when you need
them.

If a website or app offers it, set up two-factor

authentication. This will require you to provide a
second piece of information to verify your identity. It
may require you to use an authenticator app with a
unique number that changes every 30 seconds or
have a code sent to your email or phone.

Using this process takes a little more time every time

you log in or change account details, but it provides
valuable protection against people who want to do
you harm.