Emily Rusch
Vice President and Senior Director of State Offices, The Public Interest Network
Consumer privacy bill to prevent data breaches passes out of State Senate
Media Contacts
CALPIRG
SB 1121 (Dodd) would make companies pay consumers when their negligence results in a data breach
Statement by Emily Rusch, CALPIRG Executive Director
“The Equifax data breach is the latest example of a company failing to take reasonable security measures with consumers’ personal and financial data. The Equifax breach was an egregious mistake that exposed nearly half of the American population to identity theft. Unfortunately, under current law it will be nearly impossible to trace cases of identity theft back to the Equifax breach, in part because so many other data breaches have occurred in recent years.
This bill would require companies to pay consumers if their negligence results in a data breach. When essential personal information such as a social security number or financial account information is exposed to potential thieves, consumers must spend time and money to protect themselves. This bill would ensure that irresponsible companies can be held accountable for failing to protect our personal data, and consumers are made whole.
Thank you Senator Bill Dodd (Napa) for authoring this measure to protect consumers’ privacy. CALPIRG is a proud co-sponsor of the bill with the Consumer Attorneys of California.”
