Susanna Montezemolo Quotes (13 Quotes)

It is ironic that after a year in which over 55 million Americans' identities were put at risk through preventable data breaches, the House Financial Services Committee would repeal state laws that have protected consumers from identity theft.

What we like is that there is a process and something gets put in writing.

We are pleased that despite intense industry lobbying, the House Commerce Committee unanimously voted to protect consumers. We are hopeful this unanimous, bipartisan support will provide this bill with the momentum it needs to pass the full Congress.

Despite the food industry's rhetoric, this bill is a sweeping rollback of decades of state action to protect consumers. It would reduce food safety protections to the lowest common denominator and make states jump through expensive bureaucratic hoops to enact future food safety protections.

Imagine if the 50 million people put at risk this year let Congress know they want better safeguards.

All the data security scandals this year have underscored how important it is for consumers to monitor their credit reports regularly to detect possible identity theft,

Congress has a real opportunity here to take the lead, but they've been making mistakes. This turns the clock back on existing consumer laws and offers no new protections.

This bill ensures that consumers know when their personal information has been lost or stolen, so they can then take reasonable steps to prevent becoming victims of identity theft. Such steps include monitoring their credit files more closely, placing an initial fraud alert on their credit file, and placing a security freeze on their credit file if they live in a state that allows it.

Consumers should be sure to order their free credit reports through the centralized channels created by the new law or they may end up getting duped into paying for extra services, ... If consumers run into trouble getting their reports at no charge or have other problems, they should call the FTC's toll-free number -- 1-877-FTC-HELP -- for assistance.

Luckily from our perspective, this is just a first step. There really is an opportunity for people to get involved in this issue.

In this information age, where practically every day we hear about companies that put Americans at risk for identity theft and fraud because of lax security practices, we desperately need these new tools to protect our personal information.

We tell people all the time that they shouldn't carry their Social Security number in their wallet, ... Their response is, 'Well, it's on my Medicare card.'

This settlement serves as a wake-up call for Congress to ensure that all businesses that buy and sell our most personal information are held accountable, and that they protect vulnerable consumers from having their sensitive information stolen.