Identity Theft is Easy with a TV Camera

First published: 21^st October 2009

At the end of the UK's National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, Sophos researchers Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault took to the streets of Bristol with a TV camera to find out how willing people were to divulge personal information. Most were willing to provide name, date of birth and email address. Then came the key question:

Would you give your personal identifiable information to a complete stranger?

With answers ranging from:

What, like I just did now? Obviously, yes I will.

To the rather less aware:

No.

Although the angle presented is identity fraud, considering the current Review of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance in Hong Kong, there are a lot of wider questions to ask:

• Why are organisations using non-secret information - such as ID card number, date of birth, and mother's maiden name, for authentication? Should organisations that do this be held financially responsible for the resulting identity fraud?
• We are highly social creatures that depend on myriad relationships in different contexts, is it feasible to restrict the flow of our identities?