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Equifax security check website strips users of legal rights

Mike Stewart / AP

Equifax, one of the largest credit bureaus, set up a website that allows users to check whether or not their information was included in their recent cyber breach. But the Washington Post reports the legal language on this website "potentially restricts your legal rights" by essentially forcing users into an arbitration clause if they use this service.

Why it matters: 90% of U.S. citizens and Social Security Number holders use Equifax.

The problems, per ArsTechnica:

  • If you use the equifaxsecurity2017.com site, you forfeit your legal right to pursue any class-action lawsuits, per the site's legal language.
  • The domain to the site doesn't belong to Equifax.
  • The site is hosted on the WordPress content management system, meaning it doesn't have the proper security in place, particularly for a site that hosts users' SSNs.

Getting heat: New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office demanded Equifax remove the legal language. FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeney tweeted "people shouldn't have to trade their rights for taking steps to protect their data security after breach."

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Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, author of China
2 hours ago - World

Special report: Trump's U.S.-China transformation

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

President Trump began his term by launching the trade war with China he had promised on the campaign trail. By mid-2020, however, Trump was no longer the public face of China policy-making as he became increasingly consumed with domestic troubles, giving his top aides carte blanche to pursue a cascade of tough-on-China policies.

Why it matters: Trump alone did not reshape the China relationship. But his trade war shattered global norms, paving the way for administration officials to pursue policies that just a few years earlier would have been unthinkable.

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Ursula Perano
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

McConnell: Trump "provoked" Capitol mob

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was "provoked by the president and other powerful people."

Why it matters: Trump was impeached by the House last week for "incitement of insurrection." McConnell has not said how he will vote in Trump's coming Senate impeachment trial, but sources told Axios' Mike Allen that the chances of him voting to convict are higher than 50%.

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Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

GOP leaders skip Trump sendoff in favor of church with Biden

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in July. Photo by Erin Scott-Pool/Getty Images

Congressional leaders, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will skip President Trump's departure ceremony in Maryland tomorrow morning in favor of attending mass with incoming President Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration, congressional sources familiar with their plans tell Axios.

Why it matters: Their decision is a clear sign of unity before Biden takes the oath of office.

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