By Robert Farago
April 24, 2008
First, we're talking Chrysler Financial Canada. Second, the story in The Windsor Star omits a crucial piece of data (ironically enough): how many Chrysler customers were affected by the missing tape containing customer names, addresses and social insurance numbers. We know there's one, for sure, and he's more than a bit miffed at the delay between the Chrysler's data loss and the heads-up. "Chris Jovanovic, who leases a car from Chrysler, said the company was notified by United Parcel Service about the lost tape on Mar. 12 but a letter from Chrysler Financial dated Mar. 27 didn't arrive in his mailbox until Monday." Said letter assured Jovanovic "The data tape cannot be easily accessed and requires specialized software and equipment to read." So that's alright then. Not according to Jovanovich. "Someone who knows what they're doing could probably access the information. Nothing's that secure these days and it annoys me to think that if the tape never shows up, will we be looking over our shoulders for years waiting for the information to be used." While Jovanovich is seeing red (and a lawyer), Chrysler's no longer using brown. A spokeswoman said "after the tape went missing, internal processes were changed and the information is now sent by secure electronic transmissions. UPS is no longer used." So, bad publicity all 'round, eh?
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April 24th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I’ve always tried to avoid UPS, especially after they’ve repeatedly left packages with neighbors that I don’t know.
What can Brown lose for you?
April 24th, 2008 at 10:32 am
UPS rant? Hey, why not? I had a stereo receiver shipped up from the US a few years back and got a UPS tracking number. As I was anxiously waiting for receipt, I was checking twice a day for the “out-for-delivery” indication - I somehow missed that, but saw, one afternoon, that it was marked as delivered. Oddly, I was working from home all day and hadn’t received anything! Turns out the UPS guy left it leaning against my deck in the back yard…. unfortunately it had been raining hard all day, and the box was a sodden lump.
Their (initial, before I got angry) response? “It was delivered on time”….
April 24th, 2008 at 11:49 am
As an IT pro, it is not UPS’s fault. It is the fault of the party that put that data on the media without encrypting it.
There is always a chance that media will be lost, no matter who is handling it. So if you have data that will be harmful if lost, then you must protect it.
Simple encryption would have rendered the data useless to anyone without the key. That is what should and must be done.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I know that the license plate in the picture says Plymouth, but isn’t that a Henry J?
April 24th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Loss of privacy is an unavoidable consequence of this era. Get used to it.
April 24th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Loss of privacy is one thing, but (for US citizens) someone having your SSN and all of your identity info is another. Thieves will sell your info to the Russian mafia in a heartbeat and you’ll find on a check of your credit report accounts you never opened. The process of removing them and proving that they’re not yours is arduous, very stressful.
Just because it happens doesn’t mean we should accept that it will happen or “get used to it.” We should demand and receive the highest protection of OUR information.
April 24th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I’m not sure what it is but I’m pretty sure it’s not a Henry J. Plymouth show car from…..oh….late 50’s?
April 24th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Probably not a Henry J., but I don’t think it is a Chrysler product either.