Published on Top Stories | September 22, 2008, 16:47
Stiffer penalties and stricter definitions for identity and information theft, these are the highlight of a new identity theft bill which is to become a US federal law.
Dubbed Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution, the new bill makes it easier for ID theft victims to sue criminals for restitution from identity theft. Up till now, victims had to prove that the damages following this theft amount to a minimum $5,000 before they could file the lawsuit, a mention that's been eliminated in the new draft.
In addition, the new bill doesn't limit federal jurisdiction to to single state, as opposed to the current version of the law, which requires the victim and the cybercrook to be located in different states for the federal agent to pursue the case.
Last but not least, the new bill is clear: installing spyware or malware on more than 10 computers is a felony.
The Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution was written by Senator Patrick Leahy and is backed by several industry groups, such as Business Software Alliance, the Cyber Security Industry Alliance and the US Chamber of Commerce
The bill has already passed the House and Senate and it only requires the president's final approval and signature to become law.
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victims to sue criminals for restitution from identity theft. Up till now, victims had to prove that the damages following this theft amount to a minimum $5,000 before they could file the lawsuit, a mention that's been eliminated in the new draft. 
