CPB Home Press Releases Consumer Links   CPB Leadership Breakfast Webpage   The NYS Consumer Protection Board (CPB) is pleased to sponsor a series of Leadership Breakfasts around the State, bringing together consumer advocates, industry, government, educators and others in a forum for discussion about consumer-related issues affecting New Yorkers. In 2008, our breakfast programs will focus on the critical issues related to information privacy, consumer trust and utility service infrastructure and reliability in the marketplace. More dates and programs will be added throughout the year. Series Program Schedule The Implications of a Security Breach: A Consumer’s Perspective - The compilation of large electronic databases is inevitable given the digital age. Entities are grappling with challenges to database security and finding ways to keep consumers’ information safe. New York State law requires businesses and government entities to notify affected consumers of a security breach so they can take appropriate action to protect themselves against the threat of identity theft. The laws on security breach and information privacy provide the basis for collegial discussion towards a common goal: understanding and complying with the statutory provisions to maintain accountability in the private and public sectors, while furthering consumers’ continuing trust in business and government. Selling Energy: ESCOs and Consumer Protection - Over the last decade, ESCOs or energy service companies have sold electricity and/or natural gas services in competition with regulated utilities. While some of these companies have provided services that are valued by consumers, complaints have been mounting against some ESCOs based on misrepresentations and questionable marketing practices. The CPB seeks to alert and educate consumers to this issue so that we can prevent other New Yorkers from having to deal with the consequences of long-term contracts with unfavorable terms.