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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 11 april 2024
South Carolina’s top officer not releasing details on 2012 hack that

stole millions of tax returns

By JEFFREY COLLINS being used and the proof
Associated Press was what didn’t happen an
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — onslaught of bogus credit
Twelve years after a hacker card charges or people us-
stole personal data from ing stolen ID information.
more than 3.6 million peo- In retrospect, the state may
ple in South Carolina by not have had to spend $12
obtaining Social Security million on insurance. But
numbers and credit card that is with the benefit of
information from tax re- hindsight, Keel said.
turns, the state’s top police “We didn’t really have a
officer said Wednesday he choice,” Keel said. “It was
thought he knew who did it something that we had to
but wasn’t ready to name do because at the time this
anyone. happen we had to start try-
State Law Enforcement Di- ing to protect people im-
vision Chief Mark Keel was mediately. We didn’t have
careful not to release many time for the investigation to
details during his confirma- play out the way it ultimate-
tion hearing for another ly played out.”
six-year term. He said what Hutto responded: “Did it
authorities didn’t find shows play out? Do you know who
that the state had the right did it?”
response after the U.S. Se- State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel waits to answer questions at his confirmation “Yes, sir, I know who did it,”
cret Service identified the hearing on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. Keel said, refusing to give
hack and data breach in Associated Press any other details.
October 2012. collected the Social Secu- tion. Keel refused again to say if Hutto asked if the person
“I think the fact that we rity numbers of 3.6 million Democratic Sen. Brad Hutto South Carolina paid a ran- had been prosecuted, then
didn’t come up with a people and almost 400,000 has been searching for an- som to the hacker to get laughed and said it might
whole lot of people’s infor- credit and debit card num- swers for over a decade the information back. have been because the
mation that got breached bers. and has been repeatedly “I’m probably still not going person was paid off.
is a testament to the work The state paid $12 million told it was an active inves- to be totally transparent Keel didn’t respond to the
that people have done on for identity theft protection tigation and couldn’t be with you, OK?” Keel said. bait. “If we could ever get
this case,” Keel said. and credit monitoring for its talked about. Hutto decid- “I’m not going to lie to you to this individual, they may
A contractor with the state residents after the breach, ed to ask Keel about the either.” be,” he said.
Department of Revenue At the time, it was one of breach Wednesday to try Keel justified the insurance The Senate subcommittee
clicked on a malicious link the largest breaches in U.S. to get answers in public. for taxpayers and the fed- approved Keel’s nomina-
in an email in the summer history but has since been “Now you can tell us that eral and state investiga- tion for an additional six-
of 2012, allowing a hacker surpassed greatly by hacks y’all paid somebody in tive work by saying the year term. It now goes to
to access 6.4 million state to Equifax, Yahoo, Home Azerbaijan $28,000 or what- quick action prevented the the full Judiciary Commit-
income tax returns. They Depot, Target and PlaySta- ever it was,” Hutto said. hacked information from tee. q

Consumers would be notified of AI-generated content under

Pennsylvania bill

By MARK SCOLFORO County, said in floor re- consumers. Violators would arguing that child sexual artificial intelligence isn’t il-
Associated Press marks. “If it’s AI, it has to say have to knowingly or reck- abuse material created by legal under criminal laws.q
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — it’s AI. Buyer beware.” lessly post AI content,
Pennsylvania consumers Lawmakers voted 146-54 which Pielli said would help
would be notified when to send the measure to the protect news organizations
content has been generat- state Senate for its con- that unwittingly publish AI
ed by artificial intelligence, sideration. All Democrats content.
and defendants couldn’t were in favor, while Repub- It is opposed by the Penn-
argue that child sexual licans were roughly split. sylvania Chamber of Busi-
abuse material created by The bill would change the ness and Industry on the
artificial intelligence isn’t il- state’s Unfair Trade Practic- grounds that it could ex-
legal, under a bill the House es and Consumer Protec- pose businesses to civil liti-
passed Wednesday. tion Law to require “clear gation and would not be
The bill’s prime sponsor, and conspicuous disclo- limited to deceptive mate-
Rep. Chris Pielli, said it was sure” when artificial intel- rial. The group is specifically
designed to place guard- ligence has been used to opposed to the consumer
rails around the use of arti- create written text, images, notification portion of the
ficial intelligence to protect audio or video. bill, a chamber spokesman
consumers. The notice would have to said. Pennsylvania state representatives held a voting session on
“This bill is simple,” Pielli, a be displayed when the Another provision of the bill Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in the state Capitol in Harrisburg,
Democrat from Chester content is first shown to prohibits defendants from Pennsylvania.
Associated Press