The Senate Judiciary Committee approved two bills Thursday that would establish rules for data protection, including when companies should notify consumers about lost data. Both measures would require retailers and other companies that handle customer data to follow the same breach notification rules that banks must follow. One measure, originally introduced in 2005 by Sens. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, and Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, would criminalize concealing breaches with prison sentences of up to five years, and authorize state attorneys general to enforce the standards. A finalized version of the bill should be more specific about conditions in...
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