Advances in technology have made life much easier and more productive for all of us.

Even crooks.

The 21st century’s electronic records are jammed with consumers’ personal information, and voracious identity thieves are gorging themselves.

The law has a hard time keeping up, but the Washington Legislature is trying. A measure on its way to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her signature would make it easier for potential identity theft victims to protect themselves while it’s soon enough to do the most good. Attorney General Rob McKenna calls Substitute Senate Bill 5826 the best consumer protection measure to be sent to the governor this session.

Two years ago, Washington lawmakers followed California’s lead and gave consumers who had suffered identity theft or had been affected by a data breach – such as the Department of Veterans Affairs’ loss of 1.1 million service members’ records – the ability to order a freeze on credit reports. But by then, of course, considerable damage had been done. That was a half-step, designed to staunch the bleeding rather than prevent the wound.

SSB 5826 would allow you to freeze your credit pre-emptively – before being robbed.

Once a criminal has enough information about you to apply for credit in your name, you’re highly vulnerable. Even if you can eventually avoid financial liability, your misery is likely to be long-lasting in a credit-dependent society. Having to wait until after the thief has struck isn’t nearly as helpful as parrying the blow in the first place.

Your wallet is gone? Your credit cards are missing? A credit freeze puts a barrier in the path of somebody trying to use them fraudulently. The nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center considers this strategy the best protection now available against identity theft.

As the center points out, however, not all creditors check a credit report before accepting a card. In those cases, having a freeze in place gives the consumer a stronger defense against any ensuing financial claims.

Assuming Gregoire signs the measure, it will take effect Sept. 1, 2008, giving credit reporting agencies plenty of time to set up the necessary procedures, including one that makes the Washington law among the most consumer-friendly in the nation.

Washington will join at least 20 other states that allow a credit freeze without having to be victimized first. But according to McKenna, this will be one of only two states that provide a 15-minute thaw for those occasions when the prospective victim needs to make legitimate use of his own credit without having to wait for days to remove the freeze.

The measure allows credit reporting agencies to charge a modest fee for freezing and thawing, but while the credit flexibility won’t be a perfect defense against crime, it will give Washington consumers a little more peace of mind and convenience.