The Data Care Act Gains New Interest
In today’s world consumer data is one of the greatest assets to an organization. But how safe is your personal data? Last year (2019), a number of large corporations like Facebook, Dunkin’ Donuts, and EatStreet just to name a few, were hit with data security breaches.
The Good News– Last week a bill was introduced in the Senate that would provide an additional level of accountability for companies that fail to secure consumers’ personal online data.
The Data Care Act
The Data Care Act, introduced by Senator (D) Brian Schatz, would create new, clear-cut rules for how organizations collect user information online.
Under the Data Care Act, companies that do not meet care, loyalty, and confidentiality guidelines would be treated as being in violation of the Federal Trade Commission’s rule and be subject to fines.
Senator Schatz introduced a similar version of the bill back in 2018 that failed to clear congress. As of late 2019 though the bill has new interest and currently the bill has 15 Democratic or Independent co-sponsors, including presidential candidates Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
What data would be protected under the Data Care Act
Sensitive data that would be subject under the bill includes:
· Social security numbers
· Passport and driver’s license numbers
· Military ID
· Any numbers or codes attached to a financial account of any sort
· Email addresses
· Online service login names and passwords
· Anything that contains a significant portion of a subject’s name in combination with their full date of birth
· Biometric data (fingerprints, eye iris and retina scans, voice prints)
“People have a basic expectation that the personal information that is collected by websites and apps is well-protected and won’t be used to harm them. Just as doctors and lawyers are expected to protect and responsibly use the personal data they hold, online companies should be required to do the same. Our bill will help make sure that when people give online companies their information, it won’t be abused,” Schatz said in a statement.
Here at Extract we know that keeping data safe is important, and whether you’re posting it publicly or it may be a target for hackers to access, Extract provides automated redaction tools to permanently eliminate sensitive data from your documents. If you’d like to learn more about how we do this, please reach out today.
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