Security: Placing a value on your private information!

Implications: Protecting the privacy of your personal information should remain a paramount concern!Some brokerage firms may have to close their doors with increased security costs!

Analysis: A long standing struggle has always been the general increasing cost of doing business.  When dealing with sensitive personal financial information the cost to keep it confidential continues to increase as well, especially with the emerging identity theft & technology that allows possible access to this information.  A simply assertion that some brokerage firms can not absorb certain expenses by increased regulations that would create greater controls to keep this information private will not likely be what stops this from happening, especially with all the reports of the staggering profits made by these same firms over the years.  Also, to argue that other financial institutions do not have the same proposed regulations will likely fall on deaf ears.  How can you really place a price on keeping your information secure?  Some do feel, however, that the cost of doing this is getting out of hand & forcing these upgrades in technology maybe should be borne by the consumer! All industries are coming under strict scrutiny relative to securing financial information and the real focus should be treating where appropriate the common industries equally. While the best answer to this turmoil may not be on the horizon, keeping private information secure is clearly here today & the regulations to do so are endless.   http://www.securecomputing.com/index.cfm?sKey=1301