Who is ChoicePoint?

Simply put, the nation’s largest collector and parser of data about private citizens.

From GovExec:

“…It’s illegal for a government agency to collect most of the data ChoicePoint maintains… Thus an unusual alliance has grown between government, whose appetite for information about potential security risks has risen, and a company whose acumen in assembling personal information has made it the supplier of choice for many federal agencies.

“Mary Boris never pictured herself as a potential serial arsonist. But ChoicePoint did.”

“Press investigations found numerous flaws with the data. For example, the online journal Salon reported that a voter named Christine got tagged as a felon because a “Christopher” with the same last name had a conviction.”

“It is the anonymous person,” CEO Derek Smith [pictured], writes, “or small group of people, who represent the greatest risks – economic, physical or emotional – facing us today.”

Really? We could of sworn it was something else…

Read more. (Thanks to mrscolex and Brownlee!)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.