Generali Global Assistance Announces Two-Part Series on Federal Identity Theft Legislation

BETHESDA, MD--(Marketwired - Oct 12, 2016) - Generali Global Assistance ("GGA" or "the Company"), a leader in the assistance industry since its founding in 1963 and part of the global Generali Group, and the developer of the Iris OnWatch identity protection platform, today announced the release of an informative white paper and corresponding webinar, titled "Before the Aftermath: The Importance of Identity Protection in the Age of the Data Breach."

The two-part series outlines in detail the disturbing increase of data breaches throughout the U.S. corporate landscape, the legislative lapses that fail to effectively safeguard personal information and the insufficient protections offered by many organizations in the wake of a breach. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) reports that in 2015, there were 781 tracked data breaches in the U.S. -- the second highest year on record since 2005. While many Internet security experts recognize the rise in data breaches as an unfortunate "new normal" affecting nearly all aspects of everyday consumer life, the aftermath can leave behind a path of unimaginable destruction to personal finances, diminished creditworthiness and severe mental anguish.

Among the most concerning items in the report is the absence of federal legislation directing how corporations should address breaches and what long-term protective measures should be taken to shield consumers against fraud. In fact, each state has its own laws on identity theft, making compliance difficult for corporations. Further, the restitution offered by companies, typically through several months of credit monitoring offered to individuals impacted by a breach, is entirely inadequate considering the wide-ranging damage that can be wrought by today's highly savvy cyber criminals.

The white paper is available for download at the following link: ID Protection in the Age of the Data Breach

Paige Schaffer, President and COO of Generali Global Assistance's Identity and Digital Protection Services Global Unit, commented on today's news, "As technology advances and our critical assets are increasingly integrated into the digital world, consumers must be educated on cyber risks so that they can take a more aggressive stance protecting their digital footprints. Despite the constant stream of cyberattack headlines, many have simply been lulled into a sense of complacency and assume that there is nothing that can be done to materially protect themselves from identity theft. We are, however, facing a serious crisis; and more than ever consumers need to shield themselves from sophisticated hackers and the subsequent chaos they are capable of causing." 

As part two of the series, Generali Global Assistance, in partnership with the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), will host a webinar to discuss findings from the white paper, and provide additional insight on data breaches and the ongoing efforts to coordinate meaningful federal legislation and uniform industry standards. Moderated by Paige Schaffer of GGA's Identity and Digital Protection Services Global Unit, panelists include Eva Velasquez, President and CEO at the ITRC, and Jenn Behrens, MSW, PhD, Partner and EVP of Privacy at KUMA and Chief Privacy Officer at Verato.

WEBINAR: The Importance of Identity Protection in the Age of the Data Breach

DATE: October 27, 2016

TIME: 11:00am-12:00pm EDT

LINK: https://my.iapp.org/nc__event?id=a0l1a000002lKX2AAM

Eva Velasquez is the President and CEO at the Identity Theft Resource Center. She previously served as the Vice President of Operations for the San Diego Better Business Bureau and spent 21 years at the San Diego District Attorney's Office. Ms. Velazquez has a passion for consumer protection and educating the public about identity theft, privacy, scams and fraud, and other related issues.

Jenn Behrens, MSW, PhD, specializes in privacy, governance and identity management. She is Partner and EVP of Privacy for KUMA, and Chief Privacy Officer of Verato. Ms. Behrens focuses on supporting organizations in transition from compliance to commitment in privacy excellence and identity management.

Ms. Schaffer concluded, "We now have the tools to safeguard personal information and are building legislative momentum to help ensure that corporations adhere to rigorous federal guidelines as well as offer fair, comprehensive restitution and resolution to the victims of a security breach. Through our white paper and webinar with the IAPP, we will educate businesses and consumers on these critical issues as well as the tools available to solve them."

More information about the Iris identity protection platform is available at www.IrisIdentityProtection.com.

About Generali Global Assistance (GGA)
Generali Global Assistance (GGA), formerly Europ Assistance in the U.S., is based in Bethesda, Maryland, and has been a leader in the assistance industry since its founding in 1963. GGA is a brand of Europ Assistance Group and part of the multinational Generali Group, which for over 185 years has created a presence in 60 countries with over 76,000 employees. Our success has been built on the foundation of trust that clients have placed in our ability to provide assistance in the most difficult of circumstances.

About the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
The IAPP is the largest and most comprehensive global information privacy community and resource. Founded in 2000, the IAPP is a not-for-profit organization that helps define, support and improve the privacy profession globally.