ANSI-BBB Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Management Standards PanelThe ANSI-BBB Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Management Standards Panel recently issued its final report. Quoting from the report announcement:

Launched in September 2006, the IDSP was established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Better Business Bureau (BBB) to identify and catalog existing standards, guidelines, and best practices related to identity theft prevention.
Panel members considered the entire life cycle of identity management: from the issuance of identity documents by government and commercial entities, to the acceptance and exchange of identity data, and to the ongoing maintenance and management of identity information. Hundreds of documents — including the applicable laws, regulations, proposed legislation, white papers, and research studies and reports — are identified in the catalog.
The report also includes recommendations for business and government agencies to:

  • enhance the security of identity issuance processes to facilitate greater interoperability between the government and commercial sectors;
  • improve the integrity of identity credentials;
  • strengthen best practices for authentication;
  • augment data security management best practices such as the use and storage of Social Security numbers;
  • create uniform guidance for organizations on data breach notification and remediation;
  • increase consumer understanding of ID theft preventative strategies, including the benefits and limitations of security freezes.

This report provides one of the most comprehensive looks to date at the problem of identity theft and the fraud that accompanies it. It both surveys the current identity landscape and makes recommendations for business, government, and consumers to mitigate these threats both in the offline and online environments.