In a sign of the power of reader comments, an Op-Ed in a Pennsylvania newspaper by an identity-theft expert was nearly debunked when a reader posted a link to an Arizona alternative paper's background story on the author that noted he had been victimized numerous times by such theft and accused of fraud.

The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa., published the Op-Ed Sunday by Todd Davis, chairman and CEO of LifeLock Inc., a theft protection company. The piece was focused on the positive aspects of identity-theft protection, stating: “Thanks to the rise of the Internet, identity theft has become much easier -- and more common. No longer must criminals sift through trash or steal wallets to get the information they need -- they can rob you from the comfort of their own computers.”

The entire piece was practically a commercial for firms like Davis's.

At the end of the piece, a reader posted a comment with a link to a Phoenix New Times story on Davis, which indicated he had been the victim of identity theft numerous times and had been fined for fraud: “Davis, a suit-wearing, ever-smiling salesman with short, blond hair, exudes confidence in LifeLock's ads. But the evidence shows that he shouldn't be the slightest bit confident in LifeLock's ability to protect his name or personal data.”

A sign of the power of the Internet, and reader involvement.