Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum today testified before the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee in support of Senate Bill 1551, which, if passed, would strengthen Oregon’s data breach laws even further, especially in light of the recent Equifax data breach that affected 1.7 million Oregonians.
Under the proposed bill, companies would be required to report data breaches within at least 45 days, and credit agencies would be limited in charging to freeze or unfreeze credit information. Additionally, a breached company cannot offer ‘free credit monitoring’ and then steer a customer into a pay-per-month credit monitoring plan. There will also be protections from consumers being auto enrolled in ‘free’ credit monitoring plans.
“This breach taught us an important lesson—data breaches can happen anywhere, and with any company—large or small. The Equifax breach was not reported for quite some time, even though the company knew of it. This means precious time was ticking away,” said Attorney General Rosenblum. “Under this bill, companies still must report a breach as fast as possible—but within 45 days. Companies also cannot promote ‘free credit monitoring’ services, but then ask the consumer to give over their credit card information. These seems like common-sense solutions to a growing problem.”
Under recent 2015 legislation championed by the Oregon Department of Justice, the Oregon Attorney General must be notified when there has been a consumer data breach involving more than 250 Oregonians, and defines protected data.
“In today’s hyper-connected world, the next big data breach is not just a matter of if, but when,” said AG Rosenblum in her prepared testimony. “Data will continue to evolve, and we must evolve with it. The Equifax data breach has sadly served to remind us that our work is not done. I am thankful to Senator Prozanski and his workgroup for bringing forward this important legislation, and I urge the passage of SB 1551.”
Once passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the legislation will move to the Senate floor for a full vote.