[grey_whiskers]

There is another thought of course. If a couple of investigators for hire can do this amount of data mining all on their own, what do you think the full force of the NSA would be capable of?

[Lokibob]

You missed a point, GW, in your excellent vanity.

She (the CEO) did all this on advice of council. So the worse thing that can happen to her is accepting bad advice.

Now, the investigators, that is a different story.

[Jaysun]

I say that a company should be able to fire anyone that means them harm without consequence. As for NSA, I hope they're able to gain as much information as is necessary to stop terrorist activity.

I can't imagine that anyone at the NSA has a serious interest in what some idiotic teenage daughter is discussing with her equally idiotic friends, or what some housewife is discussing with her Mother - and there isn't any evidence to suggest that I'm wrong. The alarm over the so-called invasion of privacy is absurd and without merit.

[HAL9000]

Pretexting is another word for – well, not exactly identity theft, let’s call it “impersonation lite.”

If they falsely used Social Security Numbers to get access, it's identity theft. H-P has already admitted that happened.

[HAL9000]

From consumer.gov -

What is "pretexting" and what does it have to do with identity theft?

Pretexting is the practice of getting your personal information under false pretenses. Pretexters sell your information to people who may use it to get credit in your name, steal your assets, or to investigate or sue you. Pretexting is against the law.

Pretexters use a variety of tactics to get your personal information. For example, a pretexter may call, claim he's from a survey firm, and ask you a few questions. When the pretexter has the information he wants, he uses it to call your financial institution. He pretends to be you or someone with authorized access to your account. He might claim that he's forgotten his checkbook and needs information about his account. In this way, the pretexter may be able to obtain personal information about you such as your Social Security number, bank and credit card account numbers, information in your credit report, and the existence and size of your savings and investment portfolios.

Keep in mind that some information about you may be a matter of public record, such as whether you own a home, pay your real estate taxes, or have ever filed for bankruptcy. It is not pretexting for another person to collect this kind of information.

By law, it's illegal for anyone to:

• use false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or documents to get customer information from a financial institution or directly from a customer of a financial institution.

• use forged, counterfeit, lost, or stolen documents to get customer information from a financial institution or directly from a customer of a financial institution.

• ask another person to get someone else's customer information using false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or using false, fictitious or fraudulent documents or forged, counterfeit, lost, or stolen documents.