There have been many large data breaches in the last couple years (Yahoo and Target, for example). Equifax, however is a company that exists because it stores private information about people. Do they have a legal obligation to protect that information. Spoiler alert: They say that legally, they don’t. Does that surprise you? You’ll enjoy all the drama of this one.

The Breach Podcast

To hear the full story (totally worth it) there are six episodes.

Warning: There is some mild language in this podcast series – you may not want to listen in front of children.

Visit the website The Breach: Season 2 if you’d like to listen to the podcast from the site, download the podcast, access the links that are mentioned in the episodes, or read the transcript.

Episode 1

The Motherlode: Why Equifax (30 min)

The Equifax breach may not be the largest, but it is probably the worst. This episode looks at the history of credit reporting and the implications of exposing the personal information of 145 million individuals to criminals.

Episode 2

The Product: Introducing Equifax (40 min)

This episode takes a closer look at Equifax, how it collects data, its customers, and its product—your personal information.

Episode 3

What Went Wrong: 76 Days (40 min)

Equifax CEO Rick Smith called the breach the result of “human and technology errors” in his testimony in front of Congress. But, what exactly does that mean? This episode takes an in-depth look at what went wrong and how it happened.

Episode 4

The Response: What Went Wrong After? (45 min)

Many people believe that Equifax’s response to the breach was woefully inadequate if not completely contemptible. This episode takes an in-depth look at the events that immediately followed the breach, mistakes the company made in their response, how they could have been avoided, and more.

Episode 5

Justice? Can’t Fix Stupid (40 min)

Episode 5 of Breach Season 2 further examines the aftermath of the breach, the congressional hearing following it, what was done to hold Equifax accountable, and what you can do to hold them accountable now.

Episode 6 

Is Privacy Dead? Life Support (45 min)

Episode 6 of Breach Season 2 features an in-depth conversation with long-time Gartner Security and Privacy analyst Avivah Litan, who contends that privacy has been dead since the early ‘00s.