The Wall Street Journal reports a provision in Equifax's recent settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and 50 states and territories calls on the credit-reporting firm to explore alternatives to identifying U.S. residents beyond Social Security numbers. Equifax will fund a study on possible alternatives and file a report on its conclusions to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. “I’m hopeful that this will lead to changes in the industry that will better secure people’s information,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. Mayer Brown Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Attorney Marcus Christian said the provision is a rarity but added that the U.S. is “in desperate need of a way other than Social Security numbers to identify people.” (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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