Governor signs legislation improving CA data breach law
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CALPIRG
Sacramento, CA— Thanks to the passage of SB 24 today, consumers will now get more useful information in the event that a company they do business with either loses their personal information or has it stolen.
According to Pedro Morillas, CALPIRG Legislative Director, “The more information consumers have about where their personal information is, the easier it is for them to defend against identity theft.”
Identity theft is one of the top complaints by consumers to the FTC every year. One place identity thieves get a hold of consumers’ personal information is through data breaches. When a company that stores consumer data loses or has that data stolen, consumers are at risk of identity theft.
“This upgrade to California’s existing law will go a long way toward protecting consumers’ identities as well as their peace of mind,” said Morillas.
Specifically, SB 24 will improve the amount and quality of the information that consumers receive if their personal information has been or possibly has been compromised due to a data breach. Disclosures such as the type of information breached and the time of the breach will be part of the new notifications, and will give consumers more tools to protect themselves.
“Knowing that your information has been leaked is enough for most consumers to put their guard up, but knowing what information was lost and when, makes it easier to take a proactive role in protecting yourself,” concluded Morillas.
