A bipartisan group of senators introduced identity-theft legislation Thursday in the Senate commerce committee, reports Wired. The Identity Theft Protection Act requires of entities that collect sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, to physically and technologically secure the data and notify consumers when data is compromised. The bill also allows consumers to freeze their credit reports to help prevent unauthorized parties from accessing private data or opening new credit accounts without permission.
The legislation was introduced by Senators Bill Nelson (D-Florida) and Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) and is cosponsored by four senators, including the chair and co-chair of the commerce committee. The bill, which may be amended to include wording from other ID-theft bills, goes to markup next Thursday.
A spokeswoman for Consumers Union said the bill was a good start but still needed work to protect consumers.
