Friday, September 2, 2011

Week 1

Welcome to my blog! 


On September 1, 2011, the state of California passed a law to enhance the notification process for California residents when their personal information is accessed illegally.  Breeches involving PII (personally identifiable information), credit card numbers, and other sensitive information happen frequently.  In some cases, individuals affected are not notified or are only given minimal information about the incident.  When the victim is not provided details and the extend of the incident he or she may not react appropriately.  The new California law requires that victims be provided nofitication containing "specifics of the incident, including the type of personal information exposed, a description of what happened, and advice on steps to take to protect oneself from identity theft." ( http://www.scmagazineus.com/california-blazes-trail-again-with-enhanced-breach-alert-law/article/211005/)  Furthermore, when a breech affects 500 or more individuals, a copy of the breech notification must also be provided to the California State Attorney Office.

This new law enhances the ability for victims of potential identity theft by enhancing their ability to react appropriately to the incident.  The article does not identify the timeframe when notification must occur.  

The article states former Governor Arnold Schwartzenager failed to sign this bill under his term because he thought that California citizens would not benefit from the additonal information.  It also states that he said that the State Attorney Office would not benefit from having copies of the breeches.  That is ridiculous. You can't fix something you don't know is broken... 

This law allows the state to protect her citizens in an appropriate fashion.  I hope to see other states follow suit.

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