Ranking Member Nelson Pushing Consumer Data Protection

Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL) said he wants Congress to pass legislation in line with President Barack Obama's proposal that would require companies to quickly notify consumers when there are data breaches, and that he intends to file legislation that would do just that.

The bill would make companies, under most circumstances, notify consumers of data breaches within 30 days. It also would direct the Federal Trade Commission to develop security standards to help businesses protect consumers' personal and financial data. Additionally, the legislation would provide incentives to businesses who adopt new technologies to make consumer data unusable or unreadable if stolen during a breach. The bill is in the final stages of drafting, and is titled the "Data Security and Breach Notification Act of 2015".