Information & Ethics committee  The monitoring service is a high-cost service to us. We're accessing millions of trade files that are downloaded to us every day. We have to load them, read through them, and identify if someone wants to be monitored. The computer cost charges are a high-cost service. That's why

Information & Ethics committee  I think that if you come more to the root of it, it's—as we've all talked about—education and awareness. The issue of access isn't really an issue in consumers' minds if they don't even think to access their consumer reports.

Information & Ethics committee  That comes down to education.

Information & Ethics committee  No, we don't always charge them. It depends on—

Information & Ethics committee  Very minor.

Information & Ethics committee  It generates revenue, but it's a very small revenue stream.

Information & Ethics committee  I think there's also more opportunity for the bureaus to work with financial institutions in partnership to get more of that communication out.

Information & Ethics committee  I think also it's a matter of giving consumers choice. The monitoring does provide an additional level of protection. Like many consumers, I subscribe to that service because I also like to know what my credit score is. That comes with the service. I also like to know that I have

Information & Ethics committee  Just building on what John was saying, the stiffer penalties, I think, are important because there is a perception that this is a faceless crime. It's benign. There are no real victims at the end of the chain. But there are, and as we've talked about, the costs are huge. The fine

Information & Ethics committee  The response is not qualified by a reluctance to have the information accessible in a timely fashion by the consumer. It's part of an evolving business model. It's a matter of making the investment in order to change the channels of access.

Information & Ethics committee  Maybe I can clarify a few things. First of all, a business needs to qualify to become a member of a bureau to access the report. They have to have a legitimate reason and the proper security protocols in order to access consumer reports. That's number one. Number two, every tim

Information & Ethics committee  Not necessarily.

Information & Ethics committee  Maybe I could also add that what we want to have is one channel that is universally acceptable and can be accessed, and that is the mail. Not everyone has access to a computer, and when you discover that you think you might be compromised, you probably have access to a phone. So

Information & Ethics committee  Chair, maybe I could offer a suggestion just so that we are grounded in facts. We could undertake a study, and if we know what the postal codes are for the reserves, we could identify the number of consumer reports of individuals who live on those reserves. We could take it to

Information & Ethics committee  I do.