Almost everything is for sale on the Internet -- even the Social Security numbers of top government officials like CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft, consumer advocates warned Wednesday.
The California-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights said for US$26 each it was able to purchase the Social Security numbers and home addresses for Tenet, Ashcroft and other top Bush administration officials, including Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser.
That illustrates the need for stronger protections of personal information, the group said.
The CIA declined to comment, and calls to the Justice Department were not returned.
Specifically, the foundation is concerned about legislation in the House that would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
The bill aims to prevent identity theft and improve the accuracy of consumer records, among other things.
While backing the overall goals of the bill, the group's executive director, Jamie Court, objected to a portion of it that would continue a current pre-emption of tougher state privacy laws.
California Governor Gray Davis signed such legislation Wednesday, which allows consumers to block companies from sharing personal information with affiliate businesses.
"Banks and insurers should not be able to go to Washington as an end-run around the most protective state privacy laws," Court said.
Bankers say the industry highly regulates the sharing of personal information. Even so, Diane Casey-Landry, president and CEO of America's Community Bankers, said there is support for a national standard for privacy.
She said states adopting a patchwork of different rules could lead to new barriers for consumers seeking loans and increase the cost of loans because of the additional paperwork.
The Bush administration has urged Congress to act quickly to strengthen the nation's credit laws and has praised the House bill.
"If you cannot stop the traffic in your information among corporate affiliates, you don't have privacy in this nation," Court said.
Beth Givens, director of Privacy Rights Clearinghouse based in San Diego, said there are at least a dozen sites that provide Social Security numbers and other private data.
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