As promised to our readers, we have continued our list of State by State Data Breach Notification laws below for ease of access.
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Kansas Stat. § 50‐7a01
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; or (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the information is encrypted, which the statute defines as “transformation of data through the use of algorithmic process into a form in which there is a low probability of assigning meaning without the use of a confidential process or key, or securing the information by another method that renders the data elements unreadable or unusable;” (2) if an investigation concludes that “the misuse of information” has not occurred and is not “reasonably likely to occur;” (3) a company regulated by state or federal law that “maintains procedures for a breach of the security of the system pursuant to the laws, rules, regulations, guidances or guidelines established by its primary or functional state or federal regulator;” or (4) if the company maintains and follows “its own notification procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of personal information,” consistent with the timing requirements of the Kansas breach notice law.
Timing of notice to individuals: In the “most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay, consistent with the legitimate needs of law enforcement and consistent with any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and to restore the reasonable integrity of the computerized system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice, if the cost of providing notice would exceed $100,000, the “affected class of consumers to be notified” exceeds 5,000, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email to available addresses, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: A company must notify credit reporting agencies of the timing, content, and distribution of notices if the company notified more than 1,000 Kansas residents.
Kentucky Ky. Rev. Stat. § 365.732
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; or (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the information is encrypted or redacted; (2) if the company does not “reasonably believe” that the breach “has caused or will cause, identity theft or fraud” against any Kentucky resident; (3) a company subject to GLBA or HIPAA; or (4) if the company follows and maintains “its own notification procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of personally identifiable information, and is otherwise consistent with the timing requirements” of the Kentucky breach notice law.
Timing of notice to individuals: In the “most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay,” consistent with legitimate law enforcement needs and “any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the data system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice, if the cost of providing notice would exceed $250,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified” is greater than 500,000 people, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email to available addresses, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: A company must notify credit reporting agencies of the timing, content, and distribution of notices if the company notified more than 1,000 Kentucky residents.
Louisiana La. Stat. § 51:3071 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; (3) account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password, (4) passport number, or (5) biometric data.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the information is encrypted or redacted; (2) if “after a reasonable investigation, the person or business determines there is no reasonable likelihood of harm” to Louisianans, provided that the business retains a written copy of the determination for five years from the breach’s discovery; (3) a financial institution subject to and in compliance with Interagency Guidance; or (4) if the company follows the security breach notification procedures of its information security policy, consistent with this statute’s timing requirements.
Timing of notice to individuals: Within 60 days of discovery of the breach, and “in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay,” consistent with legitimate law enforcement needs and measures that are necessary to determine the scope of the breach, prevent further disclosure, and restore system integrity. If the notification is delayed, the company must provide a written explanation to the state Attorney General within 60 days.
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice, if the cost of providing notice would exceed $100,000, the “affected class of persons to be notified” is greater than 100,000 people, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email to available addresses, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: A company must notify the Consumer Protection Section of the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General within ten days of notifying Louisiana residents. The notice should include the names of all Louisiana citizens who were notified of the breach.
Maine Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 10, § 1346 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password; or (4) account passwords or PIN numbers or other access codes. Alternatively, any of those four data elements, without the individual’s name, if the information “would be sufficient to permit a person to fraudulently assume or attempt to assume the identity of the person whose information was compromised.”
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the information is encrypted or redacted (the statute defines “encryption” as “disguising of data using generally accepted practices”); (2) if after conducting “in good faith a reasonable and prompt investigation” the company determines that it is not “reasonably possible” that the information could be misused (though this exception does not apply to information brokers); (3) if the company “complies with the security breach notification requirements of rules, regulations, procedures or guidelines established pursuant to federal law” or Maine law, provided they are at least as protective as the requirements of the Maine breach notice law.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must occur “as expediently as possible and without unreasonable delay, consistent with the legitimate needs of law enforcement pursuant” or “with measures necessary to determine the scope of the security breach and restore the reasonable integrity, security and confidentiality of the data in the system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice, if the cost of providing notice would exceed $5000, the “affected class of individuals to be notified exceeds 1,000,” or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email to available addresses, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: A company that notifies Maine residents must notify the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation or, if not regulated by that department, the Maine Attorney General. If the company notifies more than 1,000 Maine residents, the company must notify credit reporting agencies of the breach date, estimated number of people affected, and date of individual notification.
Maryland Md. Code, Com. Law § 14‐3501 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security or passport number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password; (4) an individual taxpayer identification number; (5) health information; (6) health insurance information; and (7) biometric data. Separately, the law covers a “user name or e‐mail address in combination with a password or security question and answer that permits access to an individual’s e‐mail account.”
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the information is encrypted or redacted (the statute defines “encrypted” as “the protection of data in electronic or optical form using an encryption technology that renders the data indecipherable without an associated cryptographic key necessary to enable decryption of the data”); (2) if an investigation determines there is not a reasonable likelihood of misuse of the information, provided that the company retains written documentation of this determination for three years; (3) if the company is subject to rules of a primary or functional federal or state regulator; or (4) a financial institution subject to and complies with GLBA.
Timing of notice to individuals: Notification should be provided within 45 days of the conclusion of an investigation, and “as soon as reasonably practicable.” Delay is permitted if “a law enforcement agency determines that the notification will impede a criminal investigation or jeopardize homeland or national security” or to “determine the scope of the breach of the security of a system, identify the individuals affected, or restore the integrity of the system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; (3) telephone notice; or (4) substitute notice, if the cost of providing notice would exceed $100,000, the “affected class of individuals to be notified exceeds 175,000,” or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email to available addresses, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media. Notices must contain descriptions of the types of data breached; the company’s contact information; the toll‐free phone numbers and addresses for the credit reporting agencies; the toll‐free telephone number, addresses, and websites for the FTC and Maryland Attorney General; and a statement that individuals can obtain information about identity theft from these sources.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: A company must notify the Maryland Attorney General before notifying Maryland residents. If more than 1,000 Maryland residents are notified, credit bureaus also should be notified, and the notice should state the timing, content, and distribution of the individual notices.
Massachusetts Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93H, § 3
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; or (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the information is encrypted with at least a 128‐bit process and the key was not accessed; or (2) if the company maintains and follows “procedures for responding to a breach of security pursuant to federal laws, rules, regulations, guidance, or guidelines,” provided that the company notifies Massachusetts residents and Massachusetts officials. The statute does not have the standard risk‐of‐harm exception. Instead, it requires notification if a company “(1) knows or has reason to know of a breach of security or (2) when the person or agency knows or has reason to know that the personal information of such resident was acquired or used by an unauthorized person or used for an unauthorized purpose.”
Timing of notice to individuals: Notification must be provided “as soon as practicable and without unreasonable delay.” Delay is permitted “if a law enforcement agency determines that provision of such notice may impede a criminal investigation and has notified the attorney general, in writing, thereof and informs the person or agency of such determination.” The company must “cooperate with law enforcement in its investigation of any breach of security or unauthorized acquisition or use, which shall include the sharing of information relevant to the incident, provided however, that such disclosure shall not require the disclosure of confidential business information or trade secrets.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice, if the cost of providing notice would exceed $250,000, more than 500,000 Massachusetts residents would have to be notified, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email to available addresses, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media. The notice must include the consumer’s right to obtain a police report, and instructions to request a security freeze, including fees paid to consumer reporting agencies. The notice must not describe the nature of the breach or the number of Massachusetts residents affected.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: A company must notify the Massachusetts Attorney General and Director of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. The notice should describe the breach, the number of affected Massachusetts residents, and steps taken to remediate harm.
Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 445.63, 445.72
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; or (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the personal information was encrypted and the key was not disclosed (the statute defines “encrypted” as “transformation of data through the use of an algorithmic process into a form in which there is a low probability of assigning meaning without use of a confidential process or key, or securing information by another method that renders the data elements unreadable or unusable”); (2) if the company determines that the breach “has not or is not likely to cause substantial loss or injury to, or result in identity theft of” a Michigan resident; (3) “financial institution that is subject to, and has notification procedures in place that are subject to examination by the financial institution’s appropriate regulator for compliance with” the Interagency Guidance under GLBA; or (4) a company subject to and in compliance with HIPAA.
Timing of notice to individuals: Notice must be provided “without unreasonable delay,” except as needed legitimately for law enforcement or to “take any measures necessary to determine the scope of the security breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the database.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) telephonic notice, subject to consent and format restrictions specified in the statute; (3) electronic notice, subject to consent and format restrictions specified in the statute; or (4) substitute notice, if the total cost of notification will exceed $250,000, more than 500,000 Michigan residents must be notified, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice if the company has email addresses; conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notice to major statewide media that includes a telephone number to obtain assistance and information. Notices must be written in a “clear and conspicuous manner;” describe the breach in general terms; describe the type of personal information that is the subject of the unauthorized access or use, if applicable; describe remediation steps to prevent further breaches; include phone number for additional information; and remind recipients of the need to remain vigilant for identity theft and fraud.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: Notice to major credit reporting agencies is required if more than 1,000 Michigan residents receive breach notices (though this does not apply to GLBA‐covered companies). The notice must state the date of the notices that were sent to individuals.
Minnesota Minn. Stat. § 325E.61 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; or (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) if the personal information was “secured by encryption or another method of technology that makes electronic data unreadable or unusable,” provided that the key was not accessed; (2) a company that qualifies as a “financial institution” under GLBA; or (3) a company that follows “its own notification procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of personal information,” provided that the timing of notification is consistent with the Minnesota breach notice law.
Timing of notice to individuals: Notice must be provided “in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay,” except as needed legitimately for law enforcement or “any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach, identify the individuals affected, and restore the reasonable integrity of the data system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice, if the total cost of notification will exceed $250,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified exceeds 500,000,” or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice if the company has email addresses, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notice to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: If a company determines that more than 500 Minnesota residents must be notified, the company must notify the major consumer reporting agencies, within 48 hours of the determination, of the timing, distribution, and content of the notices.
Mississippi Miss. Code § 75‐24‐29
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; or (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the personal information was “secured by encryption or by any other method or technology that renders the personal information unreadable or unusable;” (2) if after “appropriate investigation,” the company “reasonably determines that the breach will not likely result in harm to the affected individuals;” (3) a company that maintains and follows a breach notice procedure under the rules of GLBA; or (4) a company that follows “an information security policy for the treatment of personal information” and the timing is consistent with this statute.
Timing of notice to individuals: Notice must be provided “without unreasonable delay,” except as needed legitimately for law enforcement to “determine the nature and scope of the incident, to identify the affected individuals, or to restore the reasonable integrity of the data system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) telephone notice; (3) electronic notice; or (4) substitute notice, if the total cost of notification will exceed $5,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified” is greater than 5,000 people, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice if the company has email addresses; conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website; and notice to major statewide media, including newspapers, radio, and television.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: Not required.
Nebraska Neb. Rev. Stat. § 87‐801 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: (a) An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password; (4) unique electronic identification number or routing code, in combination with any required security code, access code, or password; or (5) “unique biometric data,” such as a fingerprint, voice print, or retinal or iris image, or other unique physical representation; or (b) a user name or email address, along with the password or security question that allows access to an online user account.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the information is encrypted, provided that the key was not accessed, or if the information was redacted (the statute defines “encrypted” as “converted by use of an algorithmic process to transform data into a form in which the data is rendered unreadable or unusable without use of a confidential process or key”); (2) if an investigation determines that use of information about a Nebraska resident for an unauthorized purpose has not occurred and is not “reasonably likely” to occur; (3) a company “regulated by state or federal law and that maintains procedures for a breach of the security of the system pursuant to the laws, rules, regulations, guidances, or guidelines established by its primary or functional state or federal regulator;” or (4) if the company follows “its own notice procedures which are part of an information security policy for the treatment of personal information,” consistent with this statute’s timing requirements.
Timing of notice to individuals: Notice must be made “as soon as possible and without unreasonable delay,” consistent with “the legitimate needs of law enforcement and consistent with any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and to restore the reasonable integrity of the computerized data system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; (3) telephone notice; or (4) substitute notice, if the cost of providing notice would exceed $75,000, more than 100,000 Nebraska residents would have to be notified, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email to available addresses, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media. If the company has ten or fewer employees and the cost of notice would exceed $10,000, substitute notice consists of (1) email to known addresses; (2) notification by a paid advertisement in a local newspaper in the geographic area in which the company is located, provided that the ad covers at least a quarter of a page in the newspaper and is published at least once a week for three consecutive weeks; (3) conspicuous posting on the company’s website; and (4) notification to major media outlets in the geographic area in which the company is located.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: If a company notifies Nebraska residents of a data breach, it must also notify the Nebraska Attorney General concurrently or before it notifies the individuals.
Nevada Nev. Rev. Stat. § 603A.010 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with one or more of the following: (1) Social Security number (not including last four digits of number); (2) driver’s license or state ID number; (3) financial account number, credit card number, or debit card number, in combination with any code or password necessary to access financial account; (4) medical identification number or health insurance identification number; or (5) a “user name, unique identifier or electronic mail address in combination with a password, access code or security question and answer that would permit access to an online account.”
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If personal information is encrypted; (2) if the company is subject to and complies with GLBA’s breach notice requirements; or (3) if the business follows “its own notification policies and procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of personal information” and is otherwise consistent with the law’s timing requirements.
Timing of notice to individuals: Individual notice must be made in the “most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay,” consistent with the needs of law enforcement or “any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the system data.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice if the cost of notifying would exceed $250,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified” is greater than 500,000, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice when an address is available, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: If more than 1,000 Nevada residents are notified for one incident, the company must notify the major consumer reporting agencies of the time the notification was distributed and the content of the notification.
New Mexico H.B. 15 (2017)
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with one or more of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or government ID number; (3) financial account number, credit card number, or debit card number in combination with any code or password necessary to access financial account; or (4) biometric data.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If personal information is encrypted or redacted, provided that the key was not acquired; (2) if “after an appropriate investigation,” the company “determines that the security breach does not give rise to a significant risk of identity theft or fraud;” (3) if the business follows “its own notice procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of personal identifying information” and its procedures are consistent with the New Mexico statute’s timing requirements and is otherwise consistent with the timing requirements of that law.
Timing of notice to individuals: Within 45 calendar days of discovering the breach, and in “the most expedient time possible,” unless a delay is necessary to “determine the scope of the security breach and restore the integrity, security and confidentiality of the data system” or is requested by law enforcement. Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) email notice; or (3) substitute notice if the cost of notifying would exceed $100,000, more than 50,000 residents of New Mexico would have to be notified, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice when an address is available, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to statewide media and the state Attorney General.
Notice must include: The company’s contact information; Categories of personal information suspected to have been breached; Date of the breach; A “general description” of the breach; Toll‐free phone numbers for the credit bureaus; “advice that directs the recipient to review personal account statements and credit reports, as applicable, to detect errors resulting from the security breach” and Advice about the individual’s rights under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: If a single data breach results in notice to more than 1,000 New Mexico residents, the company must notify the state Attorney General and major credit bureaus within 45 days, unless a delay is permitted. The notification must include the number of notified New Mexico residents and a copy of the notice to individuals.
New York N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 899‐aa
Categories of covered personal information: Any “information concerning a natural person which, because of name, number, personal mark, or other identifier, can be used to identify such natural person” along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; or (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the personal information was encrypted and the key was not accessed; (2) if the company determines that the unauthorized acquisition did not compromise “the security, confidentiality, or integrity of personal information,” after considering the following factors: (a) indications that the information is in the “physical possession and control of an unauthorized person;” (b) indications that “the information has been downloaded or copied;” and (c) indications that the information was “used by an unauthorized person, such as fraudulent accounts opened or instances of identity theft reported.”
Timing of notice to individuals: Notice must be provided in the “most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay,” except as needed legitimately for law enforcement and “any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) telephone notice; (3) electronic notice; or (4) substitute notice, if the total cost of notification will exceed $250,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified” is greater than 500,000, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice if the company has email addresses, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notice to major statewide media. The notice must include contact information for the company, and a description of the categories of information believed to have been acquired.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: Any time that New York residents are notified of a data breach, the company should notify the New York Attorney General, the New York Department of State, and the New York Division of State Police of the timing, content, and distribution of the notices and the approximate number of New York residents affected. The notice must not delay notification of individuals. If more than 5,000 New York residents are notified at one time, the company must notify the consumer reporting agencies of the timing, content, and distribution of the notices and approximate number of New York residents affected.
North Carolina N.C. Gen. Stat § 75‐65
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; or (3) checking account number; (4) savings account number; (5) credit card number; (6) debit card number; (7) personal identification code; (8) electronic identification numbers, electronic mail names or addresses, Internet account numbers, or Internet identification names; (9) digital signatures; (10) any other numbers or information that can be used to access a person’s financial resources; (11) biometric data; (12) fingerprints; (13) passwords; or (14) parent’s legal surname prior to marriage.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the personal information was encrypted and the key has not been accessed (“encryption” is defined as the “use of an algorithmic process to transform data into a form in which the data is rendered unreadable or unusable without use of a confidential process or key”); (2) if “illegal use of the personal information” has not occurred, is not “reasonably likely to occur,” and does not create “a material risk of harm to a consumer;” or (3) a financial institution that complies with the GLBA Interagency Guidance.
Timing of notice to individuals: Notice must be provided “without unreasonable delay,” except as needed legitimately for law enforcement and “consistent with any measures necessary to determine sufficient contact information, determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity, security, and confidentiality of the data system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) telephone notice; (3) electronic notice; or (4) substitute notice, if the total cost of notification will exceed $250,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified exceeds 500,000,” or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice if the company has email addresses; conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notice to major statewide media. The notice must contain a description of the incident “in general terms;” a description of the categories of personal information that were subject to unauthorized access; a description of the steps the business took to prevent further unauthorized access; a phone number for further information and assistance; advice to “remain vigilant by reviewing account statements and monitoring free credit reports;” toll‐free numbers and addresses for the major consumer reporting agencies; and toll‐free numbers, addresses, and website addresses for the FTC and North Carolina Attorney General’s office, along with a statement that the individual “can obtain information from these sources about preventing identity theft.”
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: If any North Carolina residents are notified, the company must notify the North Carolina Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, without unreasonable delay, of the nature of the breach, the number of consumers affected, steps taken to investigate the breach, steps taken to prevent a similar breach in the future, and information regarding the timing, distribution, and content of the notice. If a company notifies more than 1,000 North Carolina residents at once, the company must notify the consumer reporting agencies of the timing, distribution, and content of the individual notices.
North Dakota N.D. Cent. Code § 51‐30‐01 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name along with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or state ID card number; (3) financial account or credit or debit card number, along with any required code or password; (4) date of birth; (5) mother’s maiden name; (6) medical information; (7) health insurance information; (8) employee identification number along with any required code or password; or (9) digitized or other electronic signature.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the information is encrypted or otherwise rendered “otherwise unreadable or unusable;” (2) a financial institution that complies with notice requirements of the Interagency Guidance; or (3) if the company follows “its own notification procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of personal information,” consistent with the timing requirements of the North Dakota breach notice law.
Timing of notice to individuals: In the “most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay,” consistent with legitimate law enforcement needs and “any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and to restore the integrity of the data system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice, if the cost of providing notice would exceed $250,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified” is greater than 500,000 people, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email to available addresses, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: If a company notifies more than 250 individuals of a data breach, it must disclose the breach to the North Dakota Attorney General by mail or email.
Ohio Ohio Rev. Code § 1349.19 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or ID card number; or (3) account number or credit or debit card number, along with code or password necessary to access financial account. Personal information does not include information that already had lawfully been made publicly available by or to the news media.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) Encrypted or redacted personal information (the statute defines “encryption” as “the use of an algorithmic process to transform data into a form in which there is a low probability of assigning meaning without use of a confidential process or key”); (2) if the company does not “reasonably” believe that the breach will cause a “material risk of identity theft or other fraud” to Ohio residents; (3) if the company is a financial institution, trust company, or credit union or affiliate of such, and is required by federal law to issue breach notices to affected customers; or (4) if the company is a covered entity that is regulated under HIPAA.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must be provided in the “most expedient time possible,” but no later than 45 days after discovery or notification of the breach, subject to legitimate needs of law enforcement and “consistent with any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach, including which residents’ personal information was accessed and acquired, and to restore the reasonable integrity of the data system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) telephonic notice; (3) electronic notice, if that is the company’s primary method of communicating with the individual; or (4) substitute notice if the company demonstrates that the cost of notice exceeds $250,000, at least 500,000 Ohio residents would have to be notified, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice when available; conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website; and notification to major media outlets, when the cumulative total readership, viewing audience, or listening audience combined is equal to at least 75 percent of Ohio’s population. Separately, Ohio allows another form of substitute notice if the company has ten or fewer employees and the cost of notice would exceed $10,000. In this case, the substitute notice must include (1) notice by a paid advertisement in a local newspaper that is distributed in the area in which the company is located, with the advertisement covering at least one‐quarter of a page and published at least weekly for three consecutive weeks; (2) conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website; and (3) notice to major media outlets in the company’s geographic area.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: Notice to state regulators not required. Notice to credit reporting agencies is required if more than 1,000 Ohio residents are notified. The notice to credit reporting agencies must describe the timing, distribution, and content of the individual breach notices.
Oklahoma Okla. Stat. tit. 24, §§ 162–164
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or ID card number; or (3) financial account number or credit or debit card number, along with code or password necessary to access financial accounts.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) Redacted or encrypted personal information, provided that the key was not accessed; (2) if the breach did not cause and is not reasonably believed to cause “identity theft or other fraud;” (3) a financial institution that complies with the federal Interagency Guidance on breach notification; (4) a company that “complies with the notification requirements or procedures pursuant to the rules, regulation, procedures, or guidelines established by the primary or functional federal regulator;” or (5) if the company follows “its own notification procedures as part of an information privacy or security policy for the treatment of personal information” and is consistent with the timing requirements of the Oklahoma breach notice law.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must be provided “without unreasonable delay,” though delay is permitted “if a law enforcement agency determines and advises the individual or entity that the notice will impede a criminal or civil investigation or homeland or national security.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice to postal address listed in company’s records; (2) telephonic notice; (3) electronic notice; (4) substitute notice if the company demonstrates that the cost of notice exceeds $50,000, at least 100,000 Oklahoma residents would have to be notified, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of at least two of the following methods: email notice when available, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: Not required.
Oregon Or. Rev. Stat. § 646A.600 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or ID card number; (3) passport number or other identification number issued by the United States; (4) financial account number or credit or debit card number, along with code or password necessary to access financial account, or “any other information or combination of information that a person reasonably knows or should know would permit access to the consumer’s financial account;” (5) data from “automatic measurements of a consumer’s physical characteristics” (e.g., fingerprint or retinal scans) that are used to authenticate a consumer’s identity for a transaction; (6) health insurance policy number or health insurance subscriber identification number in combination with unique identifiers used by health insurers; or (7) information about medical history, medical or physical condition, medical diagnosis, or treatment. These seven categories of information—without an individual’s name—still could be considered personal information if they would enable identity theft.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) Encrypted or redacted personal information; (2) if, after an appropriate investigation or consultation with law enforcement, the company “reasonably determines” that the consumers are “unlikely to suffer harm” (this determination must be documented in writing and retained for at least five years); (3) if a company follows notification rules that its “primary or functional federal regulator adopts, promulgates or issues in rules, regulations, procedures, guidelines or guidance, if the rules, regulations, procedures, guidelines or guidance provide greater protection to personal information and disclosure requirements at least as thorough as the protections and disclosure requirements provided” under the Oregon breach notice law; (4) the company is a financial institution that complies with GLBA; or (5) if the company follows its internal notification procedures and those procedures are consistent with the statute’s timing requirements.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must be provided within 45 days of discovery or notification of the breach, and in the most “expeditious manner possible” and “without unreasonable delay,” consistent with legitimate needs of law enforcement and “consistent with any measures that are necessary to determine sufficient contact information for the affected consumer, determine the scope of the breach of security and restore the reasonable integrity, security and confidentiality of the personal information.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) telephonic notice, if the company directly contacts the consumer by that means; (3) electronic notice, if that is the company’s customary method of communicating with the individual; or (4) substitute notice if the company demonstrates that the cost of notice exceeds $250,000, the “affected class of consumers exceeds 350,000,” or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice when available, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide television and media. Notice must contain a description of the data breach “in general terms;” the approximate date of the breach; the type of personal information that was subject to the breach; contact information for the company that was subject to the breach; contact information for credit bureaus; and advice to report suspected identity theft to law enforcement, including the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission. If the company provides free credit monitoring or identity theft prevention and mitigation services, the company cannot condition the services on the individual providing a credit card or debit card number, or on the purchase of any other service. If the services are offered for a fee, the company “must separately, distinctly, clearly, and conspicuously disclose in the offer for the additional credit monitoring services or identity theft prevention and mitigation services” that the company will charge a fee.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: If the number of affected Oregon residents exceeds 250, the company, either in writing or electronically, must provide the Oregon Attorney General with the same notice provided to consumers. Notice to credit reporting agencies without unreasonable delay is required, provided that more than 1,000 Oregon residents are affected. The notice to credit bureaus should include the notice provided to individuals, and any police report number assigned to the data breach.
Pennsylvania 73 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 2301 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or ID card number; or (3) financial account number or credit or debit card number, along with code or password necessary to access financial account.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) Redacted or encrypted information, if the key was not accessed; (2) if the company does not “reasonably” believe that the breach has caused or will cause “loss or injury” to a Pennsylvania resident; (3) if a company “complies with the notification requirements or procedures pursuant to the rules, regulations, procedures or guidelines established by the entity’s primary or functional Federal regulator;” (4) if the company is a financial institution that complies with the Interagency Guidance procedures; or (5) if the company follows “its own notification procedures as part of an information privacy or security policy for the treatment of personal information,” provided that the policy is “consistent with the notice requirements” of the Pennsylvania breach notice law.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must be provided “without unreasonable delay,” except to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the data system, or at the written request of law enforcement.
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice to the last known postal address; (2) telephonic notice, if the individual can reasonably be expected to receive it and the notice clearly and conspicuously describes the incident generally and verifies personal information but does not require the customer to provide personal information, and the customer is provided with a phone number or website for further information or assistance; (3) electronic notice, if a prior business relationship exists and the company has a valid email address for the individual; or (4) substitute notice if the company demonstrates that the cost of notice exceeds $100,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified exceeds 175,000,” or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice when available, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: Notice to state regulators is not required. Notice to credit reporting agencies is required, provided that more than 1,000 Pennsylvania residents are notified. The notice to credit reporting agencies must state the timing, distribution, and number of individual notices.
Rhode Island R.I. Gen. Laws § 11‐49.3‐3 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or ID card number; (3) financial account number or credit or debit card number, along with code or password necessary to access financial account; (4) medical or health insurance information; or (5) email address with any security code, access code, or password that would allow access to a personal, medical, insurance, or financial account.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) Encrypted personal information (the statute defines “encrypted” as “transformation of data through the use of a one hundred twenty‐eight (128) bit or higher algorithmic process into a form in which there is a low probability of assigning meaning without use of a confidential process or key. Data shall not be considered to be encrypted if it is acquired in combination with any key, security code, or password that would permit access to the encrypted data”); (2) if the company determines that the breach does not pose “a significant risk of identity theft” to Rhode Island residents; (3) if the company follows “a security breach procedure pursuant to the rules, regulations, procedures, or guidelines established by the primary or functional regulator;” (4) the company is a financial institution that complies with the GLBA Interagency Guidelines; (5) the company is a health‐related company that complies with HIPAA’s breach notification procedures; or (6) if the company follows “its own security breach procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of personal information” and is consistent with the timing requirements of the Rhode Island breach notice law.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must be provided in the “most expedient time possible,” but no later than 45 days after confirmation of the breach and the ability to ascertain the information required to fulfill the notice requirements, “consistent with the legitimate needs of law enforcement.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice if the company demonstrates that the cost of notice exceeds $25,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified exceeds” 50,000 people, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email
notice when available, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media. The individual notices should contain (1) a “general and brief description” of the breach, including how it occurred and the number of affected individuals; (2) the type of information that was breached; (3) date (or estimated date) of the breach; (4) date of discovery of the breach; (5) description of remediation services, including toll‐free phone numbers and websites for credit reporting agencies, remediation service providers, and the Rhode Island Attorney General; and (6) a “clear and concise” description of the consumer’s ability to file or obtain a police report regarding the data breach, how the individual can request a security freeze on financial accounts, and the fees that consumers may be required to pay to credit bureaus for these remedies.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: Notice to the Attorney General and the major credit bureaus is required if more than 500 Rhode Island residents are notified. The notices should describe the timing, content, and distribution of the individual notices and the approximate number of affected individuals. These notices are not grounds to delay individual notifications.
South Carolina S.C. Code § 39‐1‐90
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or ID card number; (3) financial account number or credit or debit card number, along with code or password necessary to access financial account; or (4) “other numbers or information which may be used to access a person’s financial accounts or numbers or information issued by a governmental or regulatory entity that uniquely will identify an individual.”
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) if the information has been “rendered unusable through encryption, redaction, or other methods;” (2) if the company concludes that “illegal use of the information” has not occurred, is “not reasonably likely to occur,” and does not create a “material risk of harm” to a South Carolina resident; (3) if a company is a financial institution or bank subject to GLBA; (4) if the company is a financial institution subject to and complying with the GLBA Interagency Guidance; or (5) if the company follows “its own notification procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of personal identifying information” and issues a notification that is consistent with the timing requirements of the South Carolina breach notice law.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must be provided in the “most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay,” subject to law enforcement’s legitimate needs, or consistent with “measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the data system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) telephonic notice; (3) electronic notice, if that is the company’s primary method of communicating with the individual; or (4) substitute notice if the company demonstrates that the cost of notice exceeds $250,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified” is greater than 500,000 people, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice when available, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: If more than 1,000 South Carolina residents are notified, the company must notify without unreasonable delay the Consumer Protection Division of the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs and the major credit bureaus of the timing, distribution, and content of the notices to individuals.
South Dakota S.B. 62, 2018 (to be codified)
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or ID card number; (3) financial account number or credit or debit card number, along with code or password necessary to access financial accounts; (4) health information; or (5) “an identification number assigned to a person by the person’s employer in combination with any required security code, access code, password, or biometric data generated from measurements of human body characteristics for authentication purposes.”
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) Encrypted or redacted personal information; (2) if the company, after investigating and notifying the state Attorney General, “reasonably determines that the breach will not likely result in harm to the affected person,” provided that the company retains the written documentation of this determination for at least three years; (3) if a company is regulated by a federal law or regulation, such as HIPAA or GLBA, regarding data breach notification; (4) if the company concludes that illegal use of the information has not occurred, is “not reasonably likely to occur,” and does not create a “material risk of harm” to a South Carolina resident; or (5) if the company follows its own internal notification policy.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must be provided within 60 days of discovery or notification of the breach, unless law enforcement’s legitimate needs require a delay.
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice, if that is the company’s primary method of communicating with the individual; or (3) substitute notice if the company demonstrates that the cost of notice exceeds $250,000, the “affected class of persons to be notified” is greater than 500,000 people, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice when available, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: The company must notify the credit bureaus of any breach without unreasonable delay. If more than 250 residents are notified, the company must notify the state Attorney General.
Tennessee Tenn. Code § 47‐18‐2107(a)
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or ID card number; or (3) account number or credit or debit card number, along with code or password necessary to access financial account.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) if the data is encrypted, provided that the key was not accessed; (2) if the company determines that the breach did not “materially” compromise the security, confidentiality, or integrity of personal information; (3) if the company is subject to GLBA; (4) if the company is subject to HIPAA; or (5) if the company complies with “its own notification procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of personal information” and is consistent with the timing requirements of the Tennessee breach notification law.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must be provided immediately, but no later than 45 days from the discovery or notification of the breach, unless the legitimate needs of law enforcement require a delay.
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice if the company demonstrates that the cost of notice exceeds $250,000, the “affected class of subject persons to be notified” is greater than 500,000 people, or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice when available, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification to major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: Notice to state regulators is not required. Notice to credit reporting agencies is required, provided that more than 1,000 Tennessee residents are notified. The notice to credit reporting agencies must describe the timing, distribution, and content of the individual notices.
Texas Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 521.001 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: The Texas statute applies to “sensitive personal information,” which includes two general categories. The first category includes first name or first initial and last name in combination with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or ID card number; or (3) financial account number or credit or debit card number, along with code or password necessary to access financial account. The second category includes sensitive information that identifies an individual and relates to (1) the physical or mental health or condition of the individual; (2) the provision of health care to the individual; or (3) payment for the provision of health care to the individual. Some commentators have suggested that the Texas statute could be read to suggest that it requires companies to provide notice even if the affected individuals do not live in Texas, though no court has ruled on this issue.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) Encrypted data, provided that the accessor does not have the decryption key; or (2) if the company follows its “own notification procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of sensitive personal information” and is consistent with the timing requirements of the Texas breach notification statute.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must be made “as quickly as possible,” except if a delay is requested by law enforcement or “as necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the data system.”
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice to last known address; (2) electronic notice; or (3) substitute notice if the company demonstrates that the cost of notice exceeds $250,000, the “number of affected persons exceeds 500,000,” or the company does not have sufficient contact information. Substitute notice consists of email notice when available, conspicuous posting of the notice on the company’s website, and notification published in or broadcast on major statewide media.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: Notice to state regulators is not required. Notice to credit reporting agencies is required, provided that more than 10,000 people are notified under this law. The notice to credit reporting agencies must state the timing, distribution, and content of the individual notices.
Utah Code § 13‐44‐101 et seq
Categories of covered personal information: First name or first initial and last name in combination with at least one of the following: (1) Social Security number; (2) driver’s license or ID card number; or (3) financial account number or credit or debit card number, along with code or password necessary to access financial account.
Exceptions to notice requirement: (1) If the personal information is encrypted or protected by another method that renders the data unreadable or unusable; (2) if a “reasonable and prompt investigation” conducted in good faith determines that “misuses of personal information for identity theft or fraud purposes” has neither occurred nor is “reasonably likely to occur;” (3) if a company is “regulated by state or federal law and maintains procedures for a breach of system security under applicable law established by the primary state or federal regulator,” provided that it follows that system’s notification rules; or (4) if the company follows its “own notification procedures as part of an information security policy for the treatment of personal information” that is consistent with the timing requirements of the Utah breach notice law.
Timing of notice to individuals: Disclosure must be provided in “the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay,” subject to the needs of law enforcement and to determine the scope of the breach and restore system integrity.
Requirements for notice to individual (form and content): (1) Written notice via first‐class mail to the individual’s most recent address; (2) telephonic notice, including via automatic dialing technology that is not legally prohibited; (3) electronic notice, if that is the company’s primary method of communicating with the individual; or (4) for Utah residents for whom the other notification methods are “not feasible,” publishing a notice in a general circulation newspaper. Unlike most other states, Utah does not allow the standard form of substitute notice.
Notice to state regulators or consumer reporting agencies/credit bureaus: Notice is not required.