Eye on the Market

Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter has created an Identity Theft Unit to help ID theft victims and to provide additional resources to local law enforcement investigating and prosecuting such crimes.

"Our new unit is designed to reduce the frustration felt by victims and to provide expertise and resources to local law enforcement authorities in investigating and prosecuting this crime," Carter says. "We work with entities regularly on compliance with Indiana’s security breach notification law."

The ID Theft Unit is a part of the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office and is staffed by a team of attorneys, investigators and support staff.

The unit actively investigates alleged fraud and provides hands-on assistance to consumers to help them address and correct the problems caused by the identity theft. The unit offers assistance, expertise and resources to local law enforcement and prosecutors in criminal prosecution efforts that may result.

The ID Theft Unit also advocates educational efforts with the assistance of J. Michelle Sybesma, an identity theft survivor and creator of www.GetIDSmart.com, a Web site designed to educate the public on protecting personal information from thieves.

Indiana’s Security Breach Notification Law took effect July 1, 2006, and requires companies and individuals who hold personal information in an electronic format to notify those people affected if the data has been left unsecured and available for unauthorized access. More than 23 private sector breaches have been reported to the attorney general’s office since the law took effect.

An Identity Theft Victim Kit, tips for protecting against ID theft, instructions for placing a security freeze and information on how to file a complaint with the ID Theft Unit can be found at www.IndianaConsumer.com.

Ensconce Data Technology (EDT), based in Portsmouth, N.H., has announced a three-year agreement with Unisys to make its Digital Shredder appliance available on the Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement IV contract. This contract provides the federal government and authorized prime contractors access to EDT’s Digital Shredder.

"EDT’s Digital Shredder offers a portable and more efficient alternative to traditional sanitization methods, ensuring secure business operations across the enterprise," Tom Conaway, managing partner for homeland security, Unisys, says.

The Digital Shredder from EDT uses secure erase technology that is already embedded in the firmware of most hard drives, yet sits dormant. Using this technology allows for complete drive sanitization in a non-destructive manner, according to EDT. Additional benefits include an automated and verifiable audit trail, which significantly reduces man hours and human error, EDT reports.

Bruce Stimon, EDT vice president of government solutions, says, "Securing this contract with Unisys provides EDT with a great opportunity to broaden our presence within the public sector—a presence that is quickly gaining traction as government customers are recognizing the Digital Shredder as the preferred end-point solution for managing the last phase of the hard drive life cycle."

The Hollywood Arts Council has recognized Iron Mountain, headquartered in Boston, for its work to preserve motion pictures, song recordings, TV shows and other cultural artifacts throughout the last 50 years.

The council bestowed its Charlie Award for "Preservation Arts" to members of Iron Mountain’s Film & Sound Services March 29.

Iron Mountain manages more than 15 million film and sound elements for more than 1,500 customers, including major motion picture studios, television production companies, recording studios and advertising agencies.

For 22 years, the Hollywood Arts Council Awards have recognized achievements in public art, cinema, entertainment, fashion and theater.