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Posted by: host	6/22/2008 7:54 PM
In the world of managing data there are some pieces of data that obviously demand special attention when considering confidentiality like social security numbers, credit card numbers and driver license numbers. There are also others that fall into that gray area that are either debated by those who must identify confidential data or not even considered. The date of birth is one of those data elements that reside in that gray area. Alone, this element of data contains no real value that would raise any concerns of confidentiality. As many say who do not want special attention on their special day say: “It is just another day.” When combined with other elements of data such as full name and address the date of birth becomes very confidential. The date of birth is something that is commonly used in combination with other data as confirmation of identity. With a name, address and date of birth a person can obtain a certified copy of a birth certificate. When a certified copy of a birth certificate is obtained by a person of less than honorable intent, the door to birth certificate fraud is swung wide open; which would include fraudulently obtaining identification elements such as driver’s licenses and passports. Also, an identity thief does not need a whole picture of a person to work their evil deeds. Knowing a person’s name and date of birth can be used to obtain additional data from other sources. With this data genealogy websites or public records can be searched to discover the victim’s mother’s maiden name… which is yet another data element that is used for identity confirmation. In addition to identity theft and fraud another reason that the date of birth should be considered confidential is that it can be used in age discrimination. This is something that many human resource professionals are well aware of. I was once responsible for building an intranet for a company which included an internal phone book. Originally the design included the date of birth (in its entirety) to celebrate birthdays; but thanks to the keen eye of the HR Department that data was removed. A focus on confidentiality should not stop at the firewall. There are plenty of opportunities within any system to reveal data that could increase the risk of unintentional disclosure of data to unauthorized users. Careful consideration of data and the combination of data elements will go a long way in protecting your business as well as your customers.
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