Sen. Tom Carper joined Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, July 14, to reintroduce legislation that helps protect consumers and businesses from identity theft and account fraud.
“It seems nearly every other day there is a report of consumers’ highly sensitive personal information being compromised by a store, a school or some third-party data center,” said Carper.
“In a 2009 incident, Heartland Payment Systems - a national company that processes payments for retailers and restaurants located in nearly all 50 states - was hacked, leaving possibly 100 million people at risk of identity fraud or financial theft.
Unfortunately this story is all too familiar, as millions of Americans are at risk for identity theft because of the vulnerability surrounding sensitive personal information.
“At the very least, identity fraud can cause worry and confusion, and at the very most it can cause serious financial harm. We need to replace the current patchwork of state and federal regulations for identity theft with a national law that provides uniform protections across the country. This comprehensive approach will better serve consumers by making it easier for businesses and government agencies to take the steps necessary to adequately protect all Americans from identity theft and account fraud.”
The Data Security Act of 2010 would require entities such as financial establishments, retailers and federal agencies to safeguard sensitive information, investigate security breaches and notify consumers when there is a substantial risk of identity theft or account fraud.
These new requirements would apply to retailers who take credit card information, data brokers who compile private information and government agencies that possess nonpublic personal information.
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