Reacting to a report that identity theft was a top concern for Illinois residents (second in a list of ten), Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced a legislative proposal to strengthen the state’s existing data breach notification law. The call for stronger breach notification laws is a trend that has emerged in other states, such as
Identity Theft
Indiana Measure to Amend Breach Notification Law Passes Senate
Late last year we reported Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller was seeking legislation which would better protect the online personal and financial information of Indiana residents. That legislation, S.B. 413, was unanimously passed by the Indiana Senate on February 24, 2015. Indiana’s bill follows similar efforts in New Jersey, New York and Oregon.…
Indiana Joins a Growing List of States Seeking to Tighten Data Security and Data Breach Notification Requirements in 2015
As we reported, there are a number of signs pointing to a significant tightening of regulation and increased enforcement of data security mandates. Following efforts in New Jersey, New York and Oregon, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced his office is seeking legislation that would better protect the online personal and financial information…
New Data Protection Powers Requested in Oregon
On December 9, Oregon’s Attorney General, Ellen Rosenblum, announced to the Oregon House and Senate Judiciary Committee that she would be introducing legislation to expand existing personal data protections for Oregon consumers while implementing additional enforcement measures to combat non-compliance.
According to Ms. Rosenblum, Oregon’s laws have not kept up with the rapid increase in…
Data Security in 2015 for Banks, HIPAA Covered Entities, and Small Businesses Too
Some have called 2014 the “Year of the Data Breach.” That may be true given the steady stream of large-scale data breaches affecting tens of millions of individuals. We do not know if this time next year commentators will be saying the same thing about 2015, but there are signs pointing to a…
EMPLOYERS BEWARE: MEDICAL IDENTITY THEFT ON THE RISE AND IS THE GOLDEN TARGET FOR HACKERS
As we’ve discussed previously, medical identity information is worth more than ten (10) times that of financial information on the black market. This gives hackers a financial incentive to obtain such information that is maintained not only by medical providers and pharmacies but also by employers who provide medical insurance coverage to their employees. Employers…
Postal Workers Union Complains to NLRB About Post Office Data Breach
After being hit with a data breach, the last thing a company might want is the scrutiny of the union representing its employees affected by the incident. When the data breach potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of United States Postal Service employees was reported, it was not long after that the American Postal Workers…
California Minors Gain Privacy Rights in the Online World
Thanks to a new state law enacted to protect minors from the modern follies of youth, minors in California can ring in the New Year by permanently deleting their regrettable online posts. This so-called “Online Eraser Law” – signed by Governor Jerry Brown on September 23, 2013 – will take effect on January…
Re-Emphasis on Third-Party Service Provider Security In Financial Services…A Reminder for All Businesses
A New York Times article earlier this week reported that top officials at the Treasury Department have identified a key area for strengthening data security – third-party service providers. Reuters reported that on Tuesday of this week New York State Department of Financial Services superintendent, Benjamin Lawsky, sent a letter to a number of…
Medical Information Worth 10x More Than Credit Card Data On Black Market
When many people think about identity theft and data breaches, they tend to think about credit card data and bank accounts. This makes sense given the large-scale breaches in the news lately. However, Reuters reported last week that medical information is “worth 10 times more than [] credit card number[s] on the black market” a…