I'm getting sick and tired of this shit.

[Shockeye]

The numbers and the names associated with approximately 1.4 million credit and debit cards used at 108 of our stores primarily during a 90 day period between mid-November 2004 and mid-February 2005 were stolen from DSW. This involved debit cards used as credit cards only. No PIN numbers were in the stolen data. Also, no addresses or other information relating to the credit card or debit card customers were stolen.

In addition, checking account information was stolen for around 96,000 checks used to make purchases at these same stores. This included the bank account numbers located on checks that were provided to DSW (the "Magnetic Ink Character Recognition" or "MICR" numbers) and the drivers' license numbers provided when paying by check. However, the stolen MICR and driver's license numbers did NOT include the name, address or social security number of the customer.

When are these companies going to learn to secure their goddamn data? Never having shopped at this chain, I am safe, but there's 1.4 million or so out there that are not. It's time for the government to step up on prosecuting and sentencing for ID theft and it's time for places to treat their data a little more carefully than empty take-out boxes.

[CmdrSlack]

The problem here is that I think the only real regulatory mechanism right now is the FTC.  I know they're the ones in charge of enforcing privacy policies, etc.  The FTC is slow and inactive.  I've always thought that you could pursue this stuff under a tort or contract theory, but it's hard to prove when someone violates a privacy policy.  Something like this isn't really contract, but could be some kind of tort, possibly negligence if you could show a distinct harm from the data being stolen.  Problem is that DSW would aruge the damages are too speculative/the info isn't too good without names, etc.

Arg.  Private citizens need a way to go after these guys for fucking up like this, and as far as I can tell, they really don't have that right now. 

[Jayce]

When are these companies going to learn to secure their goddamn data? Never having shopped at this chain, I am safe, but there's 1.4 million or so out there that are not. It's time for the government to step up on prosecuting and sentencing for ID theft and it's time for places to treat their data a little more carefully than empty take-out boxes.

At least one security expert has been arguing for awhile that liability is the only way to ultimately solve the problem.

[HaemishM]

Who is DSW? I'd just like to know that I didn't shop there.

That is a HUGE fucking haul for a hacker. And security of this information, which should be job #1, is probably job #we'll-get-to-it-when-we-can. You don't fuck around with people's credit card info.

[CmdrSlack]

They're a discount shoe place...you know, name brands for less or somesuch.  They carry mostly women's shoes.  My fiancee owns more shoes than one person reasonably needs, so I can assure you I know of this place.

[Shockeye]

They're a discount shoe place...you know, name brands for less or somesuch.  They carry mostly women's shoes.  My fiancee owns more shoes than one person reasonably needs, so I can assure you I know of this place.

I hope she paid cash there.

[Sky]

I used to use my debit card all the time, for pretty much everything. Now I use cash only, mostly for political reasons.

Hey, our sales tax is almost 10% now (unless you're an indian making millions on the reservation), how's yours?

[Shockeye]

Hey, our sales tax is almost 10% now (unless you're an indian making millions on the reservation), how's yours?

8.1% here.

And as for the "making millions on the reservation", many Native American tribes see little benefit from the casino money due to licensing, corruption, or poor management.

[NiX]

I used to use my debit card all the time, for pretty much everything. Now I use cash only, mostly for political reasons.

Hey, our sales tax is almost 10% now (unless you're an indian making millions on the reservation), how's yours?

15%


It hurts...

[Sky]

Ok, NiX, I'll stop bitching, heh...

And as for the "making millions on the reservation", many Native American tribes see little benefit from the casino money due to licensing, corruption, or poor management.

Yep, I know it quite well, growing up surrounded by indians. Very complex issues going on, and it was a poor joke, the stress of the county budget has everyone on edge. Another complex issue, like the closing of two large mental institutions in the 70s, etc. Our county is a mess.

Our local tribe is pretty good, I know the guy spearheading the progressive elements because my father (as a fire inspector) was one of the first uniformed white men to step onto their soil in decades, decades ago, now. The big problem is that if you are a traditionalist indian, your leaders won't deal with the progressive indians (native americans, whatever).

I don't mind their success, either, but it opens a huge can of problems, from land claims issues to tax issues to other tribes wanting to build in NY, other tribes trying to claim Oneida blood, it's messy. Especially the land claims, farmers with shotguns, and one can't really blame either side, I guess. Nasty.

[Fargull]

Yep, I know it quite well, growing up surrounded by indians. Very complex issues going on, and it was a poor joke, the stress of the county budget has everyone on edge. Another complex issue, like the closing of two large mental institutions in the 70s, etc. Our county is a mess.

Our local tribe is pretty good, I know the guy spearheading the progressive elements because my father (as a fire inspector) was one of the first uniformed white men to step onto their soil in decades, decades ago, now. The big problem is that if you are a traditionalist indian, your leaders won't deal with the progressive indians (native americans, whatever).

Which tribe?  I was born in Moebridge, but spent my first year on Standing Rock till my dad took a job in Florida.  My star quilt was made by the grand daughter of Gaul.  My soul still belongs on the plains.

[Sky]

Oneida. Five Nations ftw. Fascinating history that I've mostly forgotten...they actually taught it in school! If it weren't for the European invasion, the Five Nations may have eventually civilized the land.

[Dren]

5% State

6-7% depending on what county or city you are purchasing in.

[Zephyr]

Oneida. Five Nations ftw. Fascinating history that I've mostly forgotten...they actually taught it in school! If it weren't for the European invasion, the Five Nations may have eventually civilized the land.

Actually there was a 6th tribe that joined later on in the 1700's to make it the Six Nations.  I had a friend who spent a lot of time in upstate NY working on various papers on Native American studies.  One of the papers of his that I read and found interesting was a comparative piece between the Iroquois Constitution and our Articles of Confederation and later the US Constitution.  So many similarities and borrowed ideas from the Iroquois.

[Polysorbate80]

I don't mind their success, either, but it opens a huge can of problems, from land claims issues to tax issues to other tribes wanting to build in NY, other tribes trying to claim Oneida blood, it's messy. Especially the land claims, farmers with shotguns, and one can't really blame either side, I guess. Nasty.

They ought to take a lesson from some of the local tribesfolk.  I know some who work two or three weeks out of the year before July 4th--you guessed it, selling fireworks to visitors from off the res.  They rake in enough profit to spend the rest of the year doing nothing.  Nice gig if you can get it.

Or is NY one of those communist states that won't let citizens celebrate by blowing a small portion of it up?

[Zephyr]

I am pretty sure the only state around here that you can buy something other than sparklers is in Pennsylvania.  Even when I lived in Illinois, we had to make the trip to Missouri or Indiana to stock up on fireworks.  Hopefully whatever state I move to next will allow me the chance to blow my hand off without having to cross state lines.

[Polysorbate80]

Ironically, sparklers were responsible for one of the only two fires I've personally seen started by fireworks (the other was some idiot high school classmates shooting bottle rockets into somebody's parked car through the open window.  Imagine the look on that poor guy's face when he saw the burned-out corpse of his car...)

If you can stand making a trip to Wyoming, I *think* you can buy more or less whatever you want year-round (unless you're actually a resident of the state, I think they have some restrictions on them).

[Strazos]

Fireworks are definately not legal in PA, or people in NJ wouldn't bitch about having to go down south to buy some.

[Tairnyn]

I also live in central NY (Sherrill to be specific, which has recently received some press for putting pressure on the Oneida nation to define the boundaries between the town and the nation) so I've been dealing with these issues for some years now. They've created many jobs and no doubt contributed to the economic stimulation of the area with the casino drawing in visitors. Most people seem to have a problem with them buying land tax-free, which shifts the burden to the remaining property owners. There was a big push for people to not sell their land but the offers being made were often way in excess of the property value, prompting many to accept.

I've heard so many things about the Oneida nation but it has been from right-wing nutjobs that would rather run in there with guns and shoot them all. It's this mindset that has made resolving this problem in the communities really difficult. People see themselves surrounded by Indian-owned gas stations and feel as if they are losing their community to an outside force. The voracity of the protests has died off significantly in the past years, most likely due to slow beaurocracy and 90% of the gas stations in the area being Indian owned. At one point they were taking photos of public officials leaving the gas stations and putting them in the paper as "not on our side". These days you have to go significantly out of your way to get gas elsewhere.