Shift the burden on identity theft

Re “Social insecurity,” editorial, Dec. 15

Although it is undeniable that the almost cavalier use of Social Security numbers and other “private” information has led to considerable grief, it seems that the solution to the problem rests not with those whose identity has been or might be stolen, and not with those entrusted to keep such information private, but instead with those who accept various forms of information as proof of identity.

The risk of loss and damage associated with accepting false identification information should instead rest solely with the person or business doing the accepting, and not with the person whose identification may have been misused. After all, why should credit card companies, for example, be allowed to shift the victimization from themselves to someone else otherwise wholly uninvolved?

ALEC FRANK

Playa del Rey