Data Breach

Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, is still working to reach consensus on the data security bill that he and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) introduced in June.  A scheduled markup was canceled in September, and the committee decided not to consider the bill at yesterday’s executive…

Continue Reading Congress Continues to Ponder Data Security Legislation

Last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee began its consideration of the several pending data security bills by marking up S. 1151, the legislation introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT). 

S. 1151 would require business entities to develop a data privacy and security plan for protecting sensitive personally identifiable information, require agencies and business entities to notify U.S. residents in the event of a security breach involving such information, and impose criminal penalties for intentionally and willfully failing to provide notice of a security breach.

The original version of the bill also contained separate privacy requirements for data brokers, but a substitute amendment deleting that title was adopted by the Committee on Thursday.  The panel also accepted an amendment proposed by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IO), which clarified that the definition of “exceeds authorized access” in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act does not include violations of Internet terms of service agreements or employment agreements restricting computer access, and a separate manager’s amendment which limited civil liability and penalties.Continue Reading Senate Judiciary Committee Weighs Data Security Legislation

For the fifth consecutive session of Congress, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has introduced legislation that would establish a federal data breach notification standard.  Sen. Feinstein’s legislation — the Data Breach Notification Act of 2011 (S. 1408) — is one of a number of breach notice proposals circulating on Capitol Hill that would preempt state breach notice laws and replace them with a federal standard.  In the Senate alone, Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) have introduced the Data Security and Breach Notification Act of 2011 (S. 1207), and Sen. Patrick Leahy has introduced the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2011 (S. 1151). 

We have heard from several sources that Sen. Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, is planning to markup S. 1207 in the near future.  And last week, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade marked up and voted to report the SAFE Data Act (H.R. 2577) (introduced by Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA)) to the full House Energy & Commerce Committee. 

Unlike many of the breach bills that are circulating, Senator Feinstein’s bill is limited to breach notification obligations and does not include information security requirements.  Generally, S. 1408 is much more similar to the breach notice provisions of S. 1151 (Leahy) than S. 1207 (Rockfeller/Pryor) or H.R. 2577 (Bono Mack).Continue Reading Feinstein Introduces Breach Notice Bill; Senate Committee May Consider Breach Notice Proposals Shortly

by David Fagan, Libbie Canter, and Josephine Liu

The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade held a hearing yesterday on draft data security legislation authored by Chairwoman Mary Bono Mack (R-CA).  The hearing was very well attended with significant substantive engagement by Subcommittee members on both sides of the aisle — an indication that the Subcommittee and the broader House Energy and Commerce Committee are committed to moving data security legislation this year.  To that end, it is worth noting that while the House last year passed legislation drafted by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) — which was re-introduced earlier this year, along with a similar legislation from Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) — Rep. Bono Mack’s legislation, the Secure and Fortify Electronic Data Act, or SAFE Data Act, is expected now to form the basis for legislation in the House this year.Continue Reading Rep. Bono Mack Circulates Data Security Bill in Advance of Subcommittee Hearing

Yesterday, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade held its second hearing on data security in the past month.  The hearing featured the testimony of top executives from Sony and Epsilon, companies that recently have been the victims of large-scale cyber attacks.  The hearing focused mainly on the specifics…

Continue Reading House Subcommittee Holds Data Security Hearing

The Illinois legislature has passed a bill that would require data owners to include specific information in a letter notifying an Illinois resident of a data breach affecting that resident’s personal information.  The bill, which still must be signed by Governor Pat Quinn, would require notice letters to include “(i)…

Continue Reading Illinois Bill Would Require Specific Contents for Breach Notification Letters

By David Fagan and Josephine Liu

The Obama Administration today sent Congress its long-awaited legislative proposal for improving U.S. cybersecurity.  The proposal is in the form of individual legislative amendments tackling various issues, packaged together as a comprehensive legislative framework.  As we previously discussed, cybersecurity is a subject of interest in both chambers of Congress.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and six Senate committee chairs requested last July that President Obama provide input on cybersecurity legislative reforms; today’s proposal responds to that request. 

While the legislative proposals are extensive – the complete section-by-section analysis is, on its own, more than 20 pages – the following provisions are likely to be of particular interest for businesses operating in this space:

  • National data breach notification.  The proposals would seek to create, for the first time, a unified federal standard for notification to customers in the event of a security breach.  Specifically, business entities would be required to notify customers following the discovery of a security breach involving sensitive personally identifiable information, and also to notify law enforcement and national security authorities under certain circumstances.  These provisions would preempt the 47 existing state data breach notification laws, and would be enforced by the FTC and state attorneys general. 
  • Development of critical infrastructure cybersecurity plans.  DHS would work with industry, through a rulemaking process, to identify core critical infrastructure operators and specific risks.  An entity would not be designated as a critical infrastructure operator unless (1) disruption of the entity’s operations would have a debilitating effect on national security, national economic security, or national public health or safety; and (2) the entity depends on information infrastructure to operate.  Operators designated under this process would be responsible for developing cybersecurity risk mitigation plans, which would be assessed by third-party auditors.  DHS would be authorized to enter into discussions or take other action if operators’ plans are insufficient. 
  • Voluntary sharing of cybersecurity threat information.  The proposal would authorize private entities to share cybersecurity threat information with DHS, and would provide them with immunity for doing so.  DHS would be tasked with developing policies and procedures to minimize the impact on privacy and civil liberties and to prevent misuse of the shared information. 

Continue Reading White House Releases Legislative Proposal on Cybersecurity

The FTC has announced settlements with both Ceridian Corporation and Lookout Services, Inc., which the FTC charged with committing unfair and deceptive trade practices. According to the FTC, Ceridian and Lookout claimed they would take reasonable measures to secure the sensitive consumer data they maintained, but failed to do so.

Continue Reading FTC Settles Data Security Claims In Connection With Ceridian and Lookout Services Data Breaches

Smartphone Location Data

Last week two UK-based researchers revealed that Apple iPhones record location-based data in an unencrypted file stored on each phone. The information, gleaned from WiFi routers and cellular towers within the phone’s signal range, has been collected without the knowledge of the phones’ owners, and would allow…

Continue Reading New Privacy and Data Security Events Spur New EU Investigations

California state Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) certainly can be credited with persistence when it comes to expanding California’s data breach notification law, and with Jerry Brown replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor, the fourth time may be the charm.  On April 14, 2011, the California State Senate voted to approve Senate Bill 24, which now moves to the State Assembly for consideration.

The new legislation would amend California’s existing security breach notification requirements by:

  • Establishing standard content requirements for data breach notifications to California residents, including the type of information breached, the time of breach, and a toll-free telephone number of major credit reporting agencies; and
  • Requiring public agencies, business, and individuals subject to California’s security breach notification law to send an electronic copy of the breach notification to the California Attorney General, if more than 500 Californians are affected by a single breach.

Continue Reading State Senate Passes Amendments to CA Breach Notification Law