CA lawmakers bullish on privacy

SB 364, passed by the California Senate last week, requires that consumers receive a clear, informative notification letter when personal data kept by a business or public agency has been stolen. It also requires the state to establish a central reporting site to catalog security breaches. The bill awaits action in the State Assembly. Another bill, SB 612, allows identity theft to be prosecuted in the victim's home county. Both bills were written by Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto).