California Data Breach Notice Law Would Apply to User Names, Passwords

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The California Senate on May 16 unanimously passed a measure to extend the state’s landmark data breach notification law to apply to email addresses, passwords, user names, and security questions and answers for online accounts.

S.B. 46 by Sen. Ellen Corbett (D) would expand the 2003 law that now requires private and public sector organizations to notify applies notify consumers when a data breach has compromised personal information such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, health insurance information, and credit card accounts.

It would expand the definition of personal information to include user names and email addresses, in ...