Latest news with #BruceSchneier
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With REAL ID, America Now Has National ID Cards and Internal Passports
I don't have a REAL ID–compliant driver's license and don't plan to get one. I figure if the federal government wants to implement internal passports in the U.S., which after 20 years of political and legal battles is now happening, we might as well be honest about it and use actual passports. So, from now on, I'll enter the secure areas of airports and federal buildings with my actual passport, which is good for travel both external and internal to the U.S. Or we could call REAL ID–compliant licenses, which must adhere to federal standards, "national ID cards." A little honesty is a good thing. "The United States is getting a national ID card," security expert Bruce Schneier wrote in 2005 when the REAL ID Act was passed. "The REAL ID Act … establishes uniform standards for state driver's licenses, effectively creating a national ID card. It's a bad idea, and is going to make us all less safe." The federal government denies that REAL ID means we all now have to carry national identification cards. Sort of. In 2007, after the REAL ID Act had been enacted but in the midst of state refusal to implement the law and popular opposition, then-Sen. Lamar Alexander (R–Tenn.) conceded the nature of the beast. "It may be that we need a national identification card," he commented on the floor of the Senate. "I've always been opposed to that. We live in a different era now." The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) still denies that standardized identification documents required by the U.S. government for domestic air travel and entrance to federal facilities are national ID. "REAL ID is a national set of standards, not a national identification card," DHS insists in a FAQ. "REAL ID does not create a federal database of driver license information. Each jurisdiction continues to issue its own unique license, maintains its own records, and controls who gets access to those records and under what circumstances." That's true-ish, but beside the point. The REAL ID Act set minimum standards for the information contained in an identification card, the conditions (such as citizenship or legal residency) qualifying a person to receive a card, and for the documentation that must be presented for an application. The law also prescribes that information be presented on identification cards in "a common machine-readable technology, with defined minimum data elements." That common technology is helpful since the law also requires that ID issuers "provide electronic access to all other States to information." Data is mostly shared through the State-to-State Verification Service, which links those different databases. Everything besides that is just cosmetic. That includes the names of issuing states, color schemes, and background imagery. They may make ID cards look different from issuing state to issuing state, but they're all interchangeable, with shareable data. And none of this is going to make us safer—which was the justification for the law. "All but one of the Sept. 11 hijackers carried government IDs that helped them board planes and remain in the country illegally," DHS then-Secretary Michael Chertoff complained in 2008 amidst debates over REAL ID and refusals by some states to comply. But most people with fake driver's licenses don't acquire them by walking up to a Department of Motor Vehicles clerk with a pleasant smile and a note from mom. Instead, they buy them from corrupt officials. "The manager of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles office at Springfield Mall was charged yesterday with selling driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and others for up to $3,500 apiece," The Washington Post's Jerry Markon reported in 2005. That was "the second time in two years that a Northern Virginia DMV employee was accused of fraudulently selling licenses for cash." If corrupt officials are bypassing normal bureaucratic procedures to issue fraudulent identification documents, standardizing those documents across the nation won't fix the problem. But it could create the illusion of enhanced security. And it will create that illusion even as all that standardized data is placed in linked databases that actually enable identity fraud. "The massive amounts of personal information that would be stored in State databases that are to be shared electronically with other States, as well as unencrypted data on the card, could provide one-stop shopping for identity thieves," then-Sen. Daniel Akaka (D–Hawaii) warned during committee hearings on the REAL ID Act. "REAL ID may make us less secure by giving us a false sense of security." Yes, government officials argue that their agencies' database security is super-secure. They would never let hackers go browsing through their records for interesting information or for the makings of new identities. But these are the same officials who regularly hand vast quantities of sensitive records to foreign hackers (think of the Office of Personnel Management data breaches) or to aggrieved workers (as with some IRS records leaks). There may, in fact, be nothing less secure than a secure government database. Perhaps the worst part, though, is that national IDs and internal passports as embodied in REAL ID add to the expectation that we must prove our identities on demand to the satisfaction of government officials. REAL ID makes it ever easier to insist that we produce papers containing standardized information to engage in everyday activities. "A national identity system works against the interests of free people and a free society in several ways," Jim Harper wrote in 2018 for the Cato Institute. "A national ID system undercuts the important background privacy protection of practical obscurity: the difficulty of learning about people when records are not created or when data are difficult to access or interpret." The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Alexis Hancock emphasizes that 20 years of delays in implementing REAL ID have done the U.S. no harm, while the arrival of standardized national ID has real risks. Hancock helpfully points to a number of physical and electronic documents that can be used in the place of REAL ID–compliant identification to fly and to enter federal facilities. Passports are on that list, and that's what I'm sticking with. That it's now used as a standardized internal passport and national ID card is exactly the point I'm making every time I'm required to present it so I can go about my business. The post With REAL ID, America Now Has National ID Cards and Internal Passports appeared first on
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
5 investment scams millennials fall for and how to avoid them
Age is just a number, particularly for online criminals. Scammers don't care how old someone is-if they can dupe someone into giving them money, that's all that matters. While always a problem, the proliferation of online scams exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2020, scam complaints to the FBI increased by 69% to nearly 792,000, according to the FBI's 2023 Internet Crime Report. Losses increased 20% to $4.2 billion. Criminals have continued to up their game ever since. In 2023, the most current year available, complaints exceeded 880,000, with losses skyrocketing to $12.5 billion. used data from the FBI's 2023 Internet Crime Report to analyze the scams that frequently target millennials. The general perception of online fraud victims is that they're older people who aren't technologically savvy, making them prime targets for scammers. However, as online criminals have become more sophisticated, that belief has become outdated. In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center tracked over 101,000 scam complaints from people 60 or older that resulted in $3.4 billion in losses, but the 30-to-49 demographic reported more complaints-over 172,000-for $2.7 billion in losses. People may equate susceptibility to scams to older adults because they lose more money than other generations. Compared with a median loss of $450 to $500 for those ages 30 to 49, those ages 60 to 69 had a median loss of $691, per 2024 data from the Federal Trade Commission. Those losses escalated with age-those 80 and over lost over twice as much as their younger counterparts, with a median loss of $1,650. Although their financial losses weren't as high, millennials were as susceptible to scams, according to the FTC. About 1 in 3 people ages 30 to 49 reported frauds and losses in 2024, about the same likelihood as those 60 or older. It's hard to imagine that millennials, who have spent most of their lives online, would fall for financial scams, but criminals have learned to shift their focus from phone-based scams to online, social media, and text scams. According to the Pew Research Center, millennials trust information on social media more than their older counterparts-about 40% compared with about 20%-so they are more vulnerable on these platforms. Of course, everyone is human. Even savvy tech users can fall for a social media ad proclaiming a too-good-to-be-true sale on their favorite brand of shoes, respond to a bogus text about their bank account having issues, or pay someone online to "buy" bogus cryptocurrency. Cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier told The Harvard Gazette that scammers have become relentless in finding victims. If they find someone having a bad day, they can easily exploit that weakness. Criminals have more touchpoints to exploit as people conduct more of their lives online. Online accounts, bill pay, and peer-to-peer money transfers simplify daily transactions, but fraudsters have proved to be particularly adept at exploiting these relationships. They pretend to be a legitimate business or a government entity like the IRS and text or send direct messages about issues with an account, potential prize money, or a missing payment that an individual can easily resolve by clicking a link. Unfortunately, the link is fraudulent and designed to get account information or payments. In early 2025, scammers bombarded phones with unsolicited texts about unpaid tolls and E-ZPass bills. The FBI told NBC it had received over 60,000 complaints about this scam. Scammers imitate trusted sources Government impersonation scams are becoming increasingly profitable for criminals, who ask victims to urgently pay cash to fix a "problem" like losing Social Security benefits or owing taxes to the IRS. They go to extensive lengths to build a story to get victims to part with hard-earned money, and even the savviest people get duped. In 2023, personal finance reporter Charlotte Cowles fell victim to an Amazon scam claiming that someone had hacked her account. She eventually lost $50,000 to people impersonating the FTC and the CIA. She's not alone. The FTC reported $76 million in consumer losses to government imposters in 2023, almost doubling 2022's $40 million in losses. Online shopping scams surge Most people shop online, but scammers also exploit those transactions, particularly around the holidays, when people shop more. In 2024, the second most reported type of fraud came from online shopping scams, including texts or emails about unexpected packages or changes in travel plans that require clicking on a spoofed link. Some online shopping scams start as social media ads for massive sales that dupe people into buying merchandise that never arrives because it never existed. Social media platforms generally don't screen to see whether an advertiser is legitimate because it's not in their best interest to do so. Schneier told The Harvard Gazette, "They don't do a good job because fake ads generate the same revenue as real ads. Why should they screen it? It's profitable." Job and investment fraud on the rise Job hunters are also easy targets. In 2024, people lost $501 million to job and employment agency scams, a nearly 457% increase from 2020, per a 2025 FTC report. Popular scams include work-from-home schemes that offer much higher pay but may involve purchasing a starter kit, scams involving reshipping or reselling merchandise, paying for recruitment services, or paying for a federal job. The rise of cryptocurrency has fueled more investment fraud. Scammers will offer tremendous returns on crypto purchases. They encourage individuals to invest on platforms that show growth so victims invest more in crypto-except the platforms were never real. Many criminals also demand up-front payment in cryptocurrency. Because crypto payments don't have legal protections and typically aren't reversible, one small mistake can send thousands of dollars into a scammer's account. Why is it so easy to lose hard-earned money? Criminals go to great lengths to illegitimately build their wealth. They target homebuyers by impersonating sellers, creating fake real estate listings, and intercepting title payments before closing. CertifID's 2025 State of Wire Fraud report found that scammers targeted 1 in 4 homebuyers and sellers and were successful every 20 tries. Millennials who have grown up online and rely on social media every day can be prone to social media hacking. This can result in identity theft or profile "spoofing"-creating a fake account that impersonates a real person-to exploit friend and follower lists. Scammers know how to push the right psychological buttons on their victims. Many scams have a sense of urgency, tapping into people's fear of missing out through limited offers or exclusive deals. Romantic scams play on people's loneliness and create an emotional bond before scammers help victims invest in cryptocurrency-and take their money in the process. Many millennials face financial pressure due to student loan debt, making them more prone to scam promises for debt relief. These scams may require up-front payment for services that never materialize or make false promises about debt relief. Criminals also know how to use just enough information to sound legitimate. For Cowles, hearing scammers discuss details like the last four digits of her Social Security number lured her further into their deceit. While criminals are experts in bilking increasingly younger people out of money, millennials can leverage their digital know-how to protect themselves from becoming scam victims. Being aware of current fraudulent schemes and second-guessing products that seem too good to be true can go a long way to preventing financial ruin at the hands of a scammer. Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Yvonne Ngai-Fodge. This story was produced by Cheap Insurance and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fear someone will get their hands on your data and open a new credit card? What to do next
Consumers are besieged nearly every day about some news about Elon Musk's latest moves at the Department of Government Efficiency to gain access to government records that contain sensitive personal data, including Social Security numbers. The list includes: The U.S. Treasury Department's central payment system. Sensitive taxpayer data at the Internal Revenue Service. Social Security Administration's key records. Access to personal information about federal workers at the Office of Personnel Management. U.S. Department of Education databases. The DOGE team is building buzz, including efforts to dismember the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. CBS's "60 Minutes" featured footage of young techies with backpacks walking into the closed CFPB building. The men reportedly were DOGE workers who had wide access to all sorts of financial data on the agency's computers. Of course, there's a lack of transparency and we don't know exactly what the DOGE team is doing and where. Much uncertainty remains over who is getting access to what exactly. And what could happen if something goes wrong and your bank account information or tax records somehow get in the wrong hands? For many consumers who have been hacked in the past, it's unsettling to think that somehow data that was once thought of as safe could get be more vulnerable at some point with all this data shuffling. Bruce Schneier, a cybersecurity expert at Harvard and the author of 'Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World,' reiterated that the danger from such a transfer of sensitive data is serious but it doesn't have much to do with whether a bad actor would suddenly be able to open a credit card or loan using your name. When it comes to the DOGE push to gain access to sensitive government data, cybersecurity experts are more concerned about the serious threat of foreign intelligence services in China and elsewhere possibly having an easier time targeting a U.S. government network. Schneier told the Free Press that the threat is extreme, and should be taken seriously, when it comes to democracy and national security. In many cases, cybersecurity experts are concerned about the lack of information regarding who is getting access to this data and what protocols are being followed. Do they have the proper security clearances? "It's not really clear what data is being touched by whom. Is data being transferred to new IT systems that maybe are not properly vetted or properly secured," said Florian Schaub, associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Information. "I think there's a lot of uncertainty regarding who has access to potentially sensitive data, Social Security numbers, other payment information," Schaub said. Overall, he is less fearful that DOGE or any government agency would purposefully leak or publish the data. He's more concerned about the chances of someone being careless when accessing the data or processing the data, leading to the heightened risk of large scale data breaches in federal records. "We don't know really who is doing any of these audits," Schaub said. Legal challenges remain. For example, a federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily prevents DOGE from having access to the Treasury Department's central payment system. And another federal judge granted a temporary restraining order to block the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management from sharing sensitive information with DOGE. Many people remain concerned about the privacy of their personal information, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, income and assets, citizenship status, and disability status. All this talk about data could make some everyday consumers wonder if it makes more sense to put a credit freeze on your credit file — just in case. Panicking over political haggling isn't necessarily the best strategy. But taking some simple steps could be reassuring in many cases. Thinking more about protecting your credit from crooks makes sense no matter your political leanings. A credit freeze is always a good idea, experts say, no matter what's happening in Washington, especially if you don't plan to immediately go shopping for a car loan, credit card or other loan. "Everyone should have a credit freeze. Period," Schaub said. "If you don't have a credit freeze, you're leaving yourself open to scams and potential identity theft." Tax season tips: How to create an online account at IRS to get transcripts, make payments, more A credit freeze is not something that will stop you from spending money or using your credit cards, as some think. If you've got a "Frugal February" going where you want to limit how much of your cash is going out the door, you'll need another strategy. When you initiate a credit freeze, you aren't able to open new credit cards or take on new loans while you have a freeze in place. You could still use the credit cards you already have open. You would need to take action, though, and have that freeze lifted before trying to open new credit cards or apply for a car loan. The Federal Trade Commission notes that a freeze is free to put in place and lift, and it doesn't affect your credit score. Consumers who have experienced ID theft or a data breach often will use a security freeze to prevent someone else from opening new credit, new loans and services in the consumer's name. A freeze is not the same as a fraud alert, which only tells businesses to check with you before opening a new account in your name. "Unlike a credit freeze, a fraud alert doesn't prevent businesses from seeing your credit report," the FTC states. The three big credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — are required to offer you a credit freeze, free of charge. Such a freeze will restrict access to your credit file and help stop crooks from opening credit cards in your name. Parents are able to get a free credit freeze for children under age 16. A child's credit file would be frozen until the child is old enough to use credit. Over the years, we've seen high-profile data breaches at places such as AT&T, ParkMobile, Michigan Medicine, Equifax and many more. Last year, for example, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel alerted Michigan consumers to a "massive data breach affecting millions of current AT&T customers and tens of millions more former account holders nationwide." AT&T disclosed last March that customer account information appeared in a large dataset released on the dark web, involving about 7.6 million current AT&T account holders across the country and more than 60 million former account holders. In 2024, National Public Data, which aggregates data to provide background checks, confirmed it suffered a massive data breach involving Social Security numbers and other personal data on millions of people. Any time your information might have been compromised in a data breach, you should consider putting a security freeze on your credit file. You must request a freeze by directly contacting each of the three major credit reporting bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — online, by phone, or through the mail. Online you'd go to the following sites: Equifax — Experian — TransUnion — Before you apply for new credit, remember, you will need to temporarily lift the security freeze following the specific procedures from the credit reporting company where you placed the freeze. Many consumers also might want to carve out a bit more time to make sure that no one is opening new lines of credit. You can get a free credit report each week from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion by going to It's always wise to check your credit report to fix any errors before you try to take out a car loan or open a credit card. You don't want to end up getting stuck with a higher interest rate on a car loan, for example, because an ID thief opened a credit card in your name and didn't pay the bill. Reviewing your credit reports might enable you to spot identity theft early. Keep copies, as well. Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@ Follow her on X @tompor. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DOGE data push raises privacy fears: Should you freeze your credit? Sign in to access your portfolio
USA Today
01-03-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Fear someone will get their hands on your data and open a new credit card? What to do next
Fear someone will get their hands on your data and open a new credit card? What to do next Show Caption Hide Caption Who runs DOGE? Government lawyers dodge DOGE leadership question During a hearing on DOGE's access to records, a district judge asked attorneys who is in charge of the cost-cutting initiative. Some people wrongly think a credit freeze means they can no longer use their own credit cards. A credit freeze will stop crooks from opening new credit cards or loans in your name. Consumers are besieged nearly every day about some news about Elon Musk's latest moves at the Department of Government Efficiency to gain access to government records that contain sensitive personal data, including Social Security numbers. The list includes: The DOGE team is building buzz, including efforts to dismember the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. CBS's "60 Minutes" featured footage of young techies with backpacks walking into the closed CFPB building. The men reportedly were DOGE workers who had wide access to all sorts of financial data on the agency's computers. Of course, there's a lack of transparency and we don't know exactly what the DOGE team is doing and where. What are the risks involving personal information? Much uncertainty remains over who is getting access to what exactly. And what could happen if something goes wrong and your bank account information or tax records somehow get in the wrong hands? For many consumers who have been hacked in the past, it's unsettling to think that somehow data that was once thought of as safe could get be more vulnerable at some point with all this data shuffling. Bruce Schneier, a cybersecurity expert at Harvard and the author of 'Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World,' reiterated that the danger from such a transfer of sensitive data is serious but it doesn't have much to do with whether a bad actor would suddenly be able to open a credit card or loan using your name. When it comes to the DOGE push to gain access to sensitive government data, cybersecurity experts are more concerned about the serious threat of foreign intelligence services in China and elsewhere possibly having an easier time targeting a U.S. government network. Schneier told the Free Press that the threat is extreme, and should be taken seriously, when it comes to democracy and national security. In many cases, cybersecurity experts are concerned about the lack of information regarding who is getting access to this data and what protocols are being followed. Do they have the proper security clearances? "It's not really clear what data is being touched by whom. Is data being transferred to new IT systems that maybe are not properly vetted or properly secured," said Florian Schaub, associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Information. "I think there's a lot of uncertainty regarding who has access to potentially sensitive data, Social Security numbers, other payment information," Schaub said. Overall, he is less fearful that DOGE or any government agency would purposefully leak or publish the data. He's more concerned about the chances of someone being careless when accessing the data or processing the data, leading to the heightened risk of large scale data breaches in federal records. "We don't know really who is doing any of these audits," Schaub said. Legal challenges remain. For example, a federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily prevents DOGE from having access to the Treasury Department's central payment system. And another federal judge granted a temporary restraining order to block the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management from sharing sensitive information with DOGE. Would a credit freeze make sense for you? Many people remain concerned about the privacy of their personal information, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, income and assets, citizenship status, and disability status. All this talk about data could make some everyday consumers wonder if it makes more sense to put a credit freeze on your credit file — just in case. Panicking over political haggling isn't necessarily the best strategy. But taking some simple steps could be reassuring in many cases. Thinking more about protecting your credit from crooks makes sense no matter your political leanings. A credit freeze is always a good idea, experts say, no matter what's happening in Washington, especially if you don't plan to immediately go shopping for a car loan, credit card or other loan. "Everyone should have a credit freeze. Period," Schaub said. "If you don't have a credit freeze, you're leaving yourself open to scams and potential identity theft." Tax season tips: How to create an online account at IRS to get transcripts, make payments, more Does a credit freeze put a stop to spending? A credit freeze is not something that will stop you from spending money or using your credit cards, as some think. If you've got a "Frugal February" going where you want to limit how much of your cash is going out the door, you'll need another strategy. When you initiate a credit freeze, you aren't able to open new credit cards or take on new loans while you have a freeze in place. You could still use the credit cards you already have open. You would need to take action, though, and have that freeze lifted before trying to open new credit cards or apply for a car loan. The Federal Trade Commission notes that a freeze is free to put in place and lift, and it doesn't affect your credit score. Consumers who have experienced ID theft or a data breach often will use a security freeze to prevent someone else from opening new credit, new loans and services in the consumer's name. A freeze is not the same as a fraud alert, which only tells businesses to check with you before opening a new account in your name. "Unlike a credit freeze, a fraud alert doesn't prevent businesses from seeing your credit report," the FTC states. The three big credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — are required to offer you a credit freeze, free of charge. Such a freeze will restrict access to your credit file and help stop crooks from opening credit cards in your name. Parents are able to get a free credit freeze for children under age 16. A child's credit file would be frozen until the child is old enough to use credit. Over the years, we've seen high-profile data breaches at places such as AT&T, ParkMobile, Michigan Medicine, Equifax and many more. Last year, for example, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel alerted Michigan consumers to a "massive data breach affecting millions of current AT&T customers and tens of millions more former account holders nationwide." AT&T disclosed last March that customer account information appeared in a large dataset released on the dark web, involving about 7.6 million current AT&T account holders across the country and more than 60 million former account holders. In 2024, National Public Data, which aggregates data to provide background checks, confirmed it suffered a massive data breach involving Social Security numbers and other personal data on millions of people. Any time your information might have been compromised in a data breach, you should consider putting a security freeze on your credit file. Where do you go to freeze your credit? You must request a freeze by directly contacting each of the three major credit reporting bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — online, by phone, or through the mail. Online you'd go to the following sites: Before you apply for new credit, remember, you will need to temporarily lift the security freeze following the specific procedures from the credit reporting company where you placed the freeze. Many consumers also might want to carve out a bit more time to make sure that no one is opening new lines of credit. You can get a free credit report each week from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion by going to It's always wise to check your credit report to fix any errors before you try to take out a car loan or open a credit card. You don't want to end up getting stuck with a higher interest rate on a car loan, for example, because an ID thief opened a credit card in your name and didn't pay the bill. Reviewing your credit reports might enable you to spot identity theft early. Keep copies, as well. Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@ Follow her on X @tompor.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fear someone will get their hands on your data and open a new credit card? What to do next
Consumers are besieged nearly every day about some news about Elon Musk's latest moves at the Department of Government Efficiency to gain access to government records that contain sensitive personal data, including Social Security numbers. The list includes: The U.S. Treasury Department's central payment system. Sensitive taxpayer data at the Internal Revenue Service. Social Security Administration's key records. Access to personal information about federal workers at the Office of Personnel Management. U.S. Department of Education databases. The DOGE team is building buzz, including efforts to dismember the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. CBS's "60 Minutes" featured footage of young techies with backpacks walking into the closed CFPB building. The men reportedly were DOGE workers who had wide access to all sorts of financial data on the agency's computers. Of course, there's a lack of transparency and we don't know exactly what the DOGE team is doing and where. Much uncertainty remains over who is getting access to what exactly. And what could happen if something goes wrong and your bank account information or tax records somehow get in the wrong hands? For many consumers who have been hacked in the past, it's unsettling to think that somehow data that was once thought of as safe could get be more vulnerable at some point with all this data shuffling. Bruce Schneier, a cybersecurity expert at Harvard and the author of 'Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World,' reiterated that the danger from such a transfer of sensitive data is serious but it doesn't have much to do with whether a bad actor would suddenly be able to open a credit card or loan using your name. When it comes to the DOGE push to gain access to sensitive government data, cybersecurity experts are more concerned about the serious threat of foreign intelligence services in China and elsewhere possibly having an easier time targeting a U.S. government network. Schneier told the Free Press that the threat is extreme, and should be taken seriously, when it comes to democracy and national security. In many cases, cybersecurity experts are concerned about the lack of information regarding who is getting access to this data and what protocols are being followed. Do they have the proper security clearances? "It's not really clear what data is being touched by whom. Is data being transferred to new IT systems that maybe are not properly vetted or properly secured," said Florian Schaub, associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Information. "I think there's a lot of uncertainty regarding who has access to potentially sensitive data, Social Security numbers, other payment information," Schaub said. Overall, he is less fearful that DOGE or any government agency would purposefully leak or publish the data. He's more concerned about the chances of someone being careless when accessing the data or processing the data, leading to the heightened risk of large scale data breaches in federal records. "We don't know really who is doing any of these audits," Schaub said. Legal challenges remain. For example, a federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily prevents DOGE from having access to the Treasury Department's central payment system. And another federal judge granted a temporary restraining order to block the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management from sharing sensitive information with DOGE. Many people remain concerned about the privacy of their personal information, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, income and assets, citizenship status, and disability status. All this talk about data could make some everyday consumers wonder if it makes more sense to put a credit freeze on your credit file — just in case. Panicking over political haggling isn't necessarily the best strategy. But taking some simple steps could be reassuring in many cases. Thinking more about protecting your credit from crooks makes sense no matter your political leanings. A credit freeze is always a good idea, experts say, no matter what's happening in Washington, especially if you don't plan to immediately go shopping for a car loan, credit card or other loan. "Everyone should have a credit freeze. Period," Schaub said. "If you don't have a credit freeze, you're leaving yourself open to scams and potential identity theft." Tax season tips: How to create an online account at IRS to get transcripts, make payments, more A credit freeze is not something that will stop you from spending money or using your credit cards, as some think. If you've got a "Frugal February" going where you want to limit how much of your cash is going out the door, you'll need another strategy. When you initiate a credit freeze, you aren't able to open new credit cards or take on new loans while you have a freeze in place. You could still use the credit cards you already have open. You would need to take action, though, and have that freeze lifted before trying to open new credit cards or apply for a car loan. The Federal Trade Commission notes that a freeze is free to put in place and lift, and it doesn't affect your credit score. Consumers who have experienced ID theft or a data breach often will use a security freeze to prevent someone else from opening new credit, new loans and services in the consumer's name. A freeze is not the same as a fraud alert, which only tells businesses to check with you before opening a new account in your name. "Unlike a credit freeze, a fraud alert doesn't prevent businesses from seeing your credit report," the FTC states. The three big credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — are required to offer you a credit freeze, free of charge. Such a freeze will restrict access to your credit file and help stop crooks from opening credit cards in your name. Parents are able to get a free credit freeze for children under age 16. A child's credit file would be frozen until the child is old enough to use credit. Over the years, we've seen high-profile data breaches at places such as AT&T, ParkMobile, Michigan Medicine, Equifax and many more. Last year, for example, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel alerted Michigan consumers to a "massive data breach affecting millions of current AT&T customers and tens of millions more former account holders nationwide." AT&T disclosed last March that customer account information appeared in a large dataset released on the dark web, involving about 7.6 million current AT&T account holders across the country and more than 60 million former account holders. In 2024, National Public Data, which aggregates data to provide background checks, confirmed it suffered a massive data breach involving Social Security numbers and other personal data on millions of people. Any time your information might have been compromised in a data breach, you should consider putting a security freeze on your credit file. You must request a freeze by directly contacting each of the three major credit reporting bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — online, by phone, or through the mail. Online you'd go to the following sites: Equifax — Experian — TransUnion — Before you apply for new credit, remember, you will need to temporarily lift the security freeze following the specific procedures from the credit reporting company where you placed the freeze. Many consumers also might want to carve out a bit more time to make sure that no one is opening new lines of credit. You can get a free credit report each week from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion by going to It's always wise to check your credit report to fix any errors before you try to take out a car loan or open a credit card. You don't want to end up getting stuck with a higher interest rate on a car loan, for example, because an ID thief opened a credit card in your name and didn't pay the bill. Reviewing your credit reports might enable you to spot identity theft early. Keep copies, as well. Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@ Follow her on X @tompor. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DOGE data push raises privacy fears: Should you freeze your credit? Sign in to access your portfolio
