Increasing privacy protections

(May 9, 2008) Because identity theft is a real concern for businesses and consumers alike, the General Assembly considered many proposals that addressed the problem. It was also a bipartisan issue that gained support from the governor and members of both sides of the aisle in the legislature.

Proposals that lawmakers considered included measures to require the state to carry insurance to provide identity theft monitoring if the state compromised individuals’ personal information. Other bills increased criminal penalties for identity thieves, required the safeguarding of certain personal information and increased civil penalties for violations.

Only one proposal, however, gained the approval of the General Assembly. A compilation of various ideas, it most importantly calls for safeguarding personal information and requiring people and organizations that collect Social Security numbers to adopt and publicly display a privacy protection policy. Unfortunately, legislators exempted state government from the new law.
In adopting this measure, the General Assembly will likely provide better protection to businesses and consumers; and help call attention to the seriousness of identity theft.

For more information, contact CBIA’s Kevin Hennessy at 860-244-1979 or kevin.hennessy@cbia.com.