County officials call for identity theft protection

With the ongoing threat of private, personal, business and sensitive governmental information being compromised in this new age of high technology, Oakland County Commissioner Sue Ann Douglas (R-Rochester and Rochester Hills) has authored the resolution to adopt a "Policy on Electronic Equipment Hard Drives to Protect Against Identity Theft," along with Commissioners Shelley Goodman Taub and John A. Scott who co-sponsored the resolution to address potential security breaches. The resolution recommends creating a policy that would require government entities, such as Oakland County, and businesses to ensure that no data will leave their site with equipment that automatically stores data on the hard drives of electronic equipment, such as copiers, certain printers and fax machines. This would aid in curtailing identity theft by requiring that electronic equipment be "scrubbed" deleting all data before equipment is sold or returned due to the end of a lease. Another component of this resolution would encourage the general public to take precautionary measures when using these forms of electronic equipment to protect their identity by encouraging them to scrub their equipment deleting the data. Oakland County Commissioner Sue Ann Douglas expresses great concern about this matter stating, "We are currently cleaning all hard drives that leave the county and my main purpose for this electronic policy is to let the public and business community know that they can prevent identity theft which is a billion dollar crime that drains the American economy each year." Copies of the resolution and policy will be sent to all local governments in Oakland County, the Michigan State Legislature and the Michigan Attorney General for broader implementation and consideration. The Board of Commissioners Finance Committee is scheduled to consider the resolution and policy at its Thursday, July 1, meeting. Douglas has been a very strong advocate on many technological issues in the county. In 2007, she pushed for full disclosure of governmental documents by making the Oakland County Board of Commissioners agendas and board packets accessible online at www. oakgov.com/boc/agendas for the public to view which has allowed the public to see every document that comes before the commission. She is also a supporter of "Sunshine Week" in Oakland County presenting annual resolutions recognizing the week. "Sunshine Week" is a non-partisan initiative whose supporters are conservative, liberal and other interested parties in pursuit of open government and open dialogue. Sunshine Week is led by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Published: Wed, Jun 16, 2010

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