What Works

A professor at Carnegie Mellon University has developed a program that patrols the Internet and searches for sensitive information that could be used by crooks to steal someone’s identity.  Once that information—name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number—is located, the benevolent computer program, dubbed the Identity Angel, sends an automated message to that person’s email account warning them that their personal data is available to the public.  According to an article by Consumer Affairs, the Identity Angel has already alerted thousands of people to their risk of identity theft since it became active on July 23, 2006.

Online job seekers make up one major demographic that the Identity Angel has focused on. Millions of people post their resumes online, and often they include a bit too much personal information.  Pursuing their hopes of finding a new job on the Internet, they could inadvertently find themselves swindled by identity thieves.  Presumably, after receiving a warning from the Identity Angel, they will go online to remove the very sensitive information the Angel warns them about from the public’s view.

But what happens if the Identity Angel cannot find an email address to accompany all of the valuable personal data?  There is no other way for the program to contact people.   Let’s hope that if the Identity Angel is able to locate someone’s Social Security number online, it could also find that person’s email address.