Data Breach Underscores Risks of Digitalization and Identity Theft

National Public Data (NPD) suffered a major data breach, exposing the personal information, including Social Security numbers, of millions of Americans. The breach, reportedly involving 2.9 billion records, occurred due to a cyberattack by the USDoD hacker group, which later tried to sell the data on the dark web. NPD is cooperating with investigators and has implemented additional security measures. Experts recommend consumers freeze their credit reports to prevent identity theft. A class action lawsuit has been filed against NPD in response to the breach.

Editor’s Note: This incident highlights the critical need for caution when sharing personal data, not just on social media but also with institutions that are supposed to safeguard it. In the Philippines, the government’s push for digitalization, digital IDs, and cashless transactions raises similar concerns, especially given the multiple hacking incidents involving government agencies last year. The reality is that the government currently lacks the infrastructure to protect our data adequately. So why should we trust them to put everything about us online? Identity theft is a real and growing threat, and once your information is out there, it can be exploited in ways that are beyond your control. [See also: Philhealth Data Breach: Medusa Group Threatens to Release Member Data If US $300,000 Is Not Paid, Hackers Defacing Website of House of Representatives Shows Philippines Not Ready For Digitalization, Mother of All Breaches: 26 Billion Records Stolen From Social Media, Government Agencies]

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