ID Theft/Data Security

Statement from Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection and Privacy Concerning the Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2015

It seems as though not a week goes by without news about another significant data breach, spurring concerns about the security of the personal information that businesses collect and retain. While forty-seven states already have breach notification laws, and many have also enacted security requirements, there are calls for a national security and breach notice standard. Consumer Federation of America believes that federal legislation will only be helpful to consumers if it provides them with greater privacy and security protection than they have today. Most of the bills that we have seen in Congress would actually weaken existing consumer rights and the ability of state and federal agencies to enforce them.

The Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2015 introduced today by Senator Patrick Leahy and co-sponsored by Senators Blumenthal, Franken, Markey, Warren and Wyden takes the right approach, requiring reasonable security measures, providing strong consumer protection and enforcement, and only preempting state laws to the extent that they provide less stringent protection. Consumer Federation of America supports this legislation and urges members of Congress to reject any attempts to institute lower standards for the security and privacy protection of consumers’ personal data.

Contact: Susan Grant, sgrant@consumerfed.org


The Consumer Federation of America is a national organization of more than 250 nonprofit consumer groups that was founded in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, advocacy, and education.