Breaches of companies and data conserning your identity.

• What is identity theft? This question has two answers. The true definition of identity theft is when a criminal (or unauthorized person) uses your personal identifying information to start new credit accounts, commit crimes in your name, get loans and even perhaps a job. A broader definition includes the use of an existing credit card or bank account. Part of the difference in statistics you hear about is due to the difference in definitions. Clearly by including credit card takeover/fraud you increase the victim count considerably.
• How many victims of identity theft are there annually? In Gartner’s 2007 study, it was reported that approximately 15 million people had been victims in a 12 month period that ended August 2006. According to the FTC, this number is estimated at nearly 9 million. Since law enforcement around the country does not often collect statistics about identity theft, there is no one conclusive answer.
    
  

  List of companies that had breaches in 2011