Is there a single organization that maintains a comprehensive list of all data breaches related to identity theft?

The assertion that there is no single organization that maintains a comprehensive list of all data breaches related to identity theft is accurate. This is primarily due to the nature of data breaches being a decentralized issue, where various organizations, both public and private, handle their own data security and breaches independently.

In practice, when a data breach occurs, it is often reported by the affected organization to regulatory bodies as required by law; however, this information may not be uniformly collected or made publicly available in one centralized location. Instead, numerous entities, such as cybersecurity firms and non-profits, may compile their own lists based on reports they receive or research they conduct, but none of these lists can claim to be complete or authoritative.

The complexity of data breaches also means that many incidents go unreported, further complicating the idea of having a single, comprehensive source of information. Therefore, reliance on a singular organization for a complete list of data breaches would not be feasible; the task is inherently decentralized and involves multiple stakeholders across various sectors.