the credit monitoring company Equifax has admitted a security failure left personal information exposed to hackers last March—in a data breach separate from one reported earlier this month that exposed the private information of 143 million people. The latest breach involves employee tax records and threatens to spawn a rash of phony tax returns, as identity thieves may seek to steal tax refunds. Public filings show Equifax spent $1.1 million last year—and over $500,000 so far this year—lobbying Congress for legislation that would limit the amount Equifax would be forced to pay over data breaches.
— source democracynow.org 2017-09-21