With over 27 million identity thefts reported in the last five years and over $48 billion in theft losses to businesses and financial institutions in 2002 alone, this up-to-date and comprehensive guide is a must-have for those who want to protect themselves.

Examines the growing problem of identity theft, explaining how easy it is for anyone to assume someone else's identity, the devastating impact of such a crime, ways identity thieves work, and concrete ways to protect oneself against the crime.

Contents: (1) Definitions of Identity Theft (IT): IT vs. Fraud; (2) Legis. History: IT Assumption Deterrence Act; IT Penalty Enhancement Act; IT Enforce. and Restitution Act; (3) IT Task Force: Recommend.; Legis. Recommend.; (4) Red Flags Rule; (5) Trends in IT: Perpetrators; Invest. and Prosecutions: FBI; Secret Service; Postal Inspect. Service; Social Security Admin.; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Justice Dept.; Domestic Impact: Credit Card Fraud; Document Fraud; Employment Fraud; (6) Data Breaches and IT; (7) Issues for Congress: IT Prevention: Securing Social Sec. No.; Effects of Data Breaches; Deterrence and Punishment; (8) Selected Legis. in the 111th Cong.: Social Sec. no.; Law Enforce. and Consumer Notification.

The escalation of security breaches involving personally identifiable information (PII) has contributed to the loss of millions of records over the past few years. Breaches involving PII are hazardous to both individuals and org. Individual harms may include identity theft, embarrassment, or blackmail. Organ. harms may include a loss of public trust, legal liability, or remediation costs. To protect the confidentiality of PII, org. should use a risk-based approach. This report provides guidelines for a risk-based approach to protecting the confidentiality of PII. The recommend. here are intended primarily for U.S. Fed. gov¿t. agencies and those who conduct business on behalf of the agencies, but other org. may find portions of the publication useful.

Daniel Solove presents a startling revelation of how digital dossiers are created, usually without the knowledge of the subject, & argues that we must rethink our understanding of what privacy is & what it means in the digital age before addressing the need to reform the laws that regulate it.

Many studies during the past few decades have sought to determine whether the death penalty has any deterrent effect on homicide rates. Researchers have reached widely varying, even contradictory, conclusions. Some studies have concluded that the threat of capital punishment deters murders, saving large numbers of lives; other studies have concluded that executions actually increase homicides; still others, that executions have no effect on murder rates. Commentary among researchers, advocates, and policymakers on the scientific validity of the findings has sometimes been acrimonious. Against this backdrop, the National Research Council report Deterrence and the Death Penalty assesses whether the available evidence provides a scientific basis for answering questions of if and how the death penalty affects homicide rates. This new report from the Committee on Law and Justice concludes that research to date on the effect of capital punishment on homicide rates is not useful in determining whether the death penalty increases, decreases, or has no effect on these rates. The key question is whether capital punishment is less or more effective as a deterrent than alternative punishments, such as a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Yet none of the research that has been done accounted for the possible effect of noncapital punishments on homicide rates. The report recommends new avenues of research that may provide broader insight into any deterrent effects from both capital and noncapital punishments.