Committee moves to strengthen ID theft law

The Senate Judiciary Committee moved Monday to further strengthen Nevada's protections against identity theft.

The panel voted unanimously to recommend passage of Senate Bill 282, which prohibits any intentional public posting of some one's Social Security number.

Sponsor Don Gustavson, R-Sparks, said the misdemeanor penalty would hopefully stop some one from spitefully making another person's number public. He said the bill would also provide a civil cause of action in those cases to allow the victim to recover any damages from identity theft resulting from some one making their number public.

Rebecca Gasca of the ACLU told the committee the added protection is a good idea since the Social Security number has become "the defacto universal identifier."

The measure goes to the floor of the Senate for action.