PENNSYLVANIA LAWMAKERS SEEK TO SAFEGUARD DATALawmakers seek to safeguard Web privacy (phillyBurbs.com)

Lawmakers seek to safeguard Web privacy

By ALISON HAWKES
Bucks County Courier Times
Pennsylvania senators are moving forward with a package of proposed laws to crack down on cyber crime.

Saying they want to protect consumers from some of the most antagonizing aspects of cyber space, the senators want to tighten up the widespread use of social security numbers and make it a crime to retrieve personal information about a user over the Internet without consent.

Proposed legislation, which passed out of the Senate Communication and High Technology Committee on Monday, attempts to tackle the growing problem of identity theft in light of a number of high-profile security breaches this year. As many as 9.6 million people nationwide in the last six months may have had their personal information stolen from data collected by major companies because of hackers and stolen or missing laptops, according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a San Diego-based consumer advocacy group.

With major breaches affecting Pennsylvania consumers, lawmakers are proposing to go the way a few other states have and require any company affected by a security breach that includes personal information to notify their consumers.

Additionally, lawmakers are seeking to criminalize one of the tools identity thieves use to gather financial and personal information over the Internet. Spyware - a computer program that is covertly installed over the Internet to track keystrokes and watch e-mail, passwords, and other activities of users - would be illegal if installed without a user's authorization. Violating the law would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a $3 million fine. Users could also sue in civil court, even if the company is located out of state.

Another bill would regulate the use of Social Security numbers. It would make it illegal to use them on cards required for access to products and services, any public posting of the numbers by companies or public agencies, and printing numbers on materials sent by mail, unless the law requires it. The punishment for doing so would be a fine of no more than $500.


At a news conference Monday morning, Sen. Robert Wonderling, R-24 (Bucks), said people have their routines down in the physical world. But the world of "bits and bytes, and ones and zeros" is more difficult to control, especially since so much goes unseen.

"The series of bills in the House and Senate, we believe, will make a dent in cyber security," said Wonderling, chairman of the Senate Communication and High Technology Committee.

Companion bills have been introduced in the House on a number of the Senate proposals.

Several other bills, not yet out of committee, would allow consumers to place a security alert or freeze on their credit reports and require the state transportation department to issue new drivers license numbers on the request of identity theft victims.

The communications industry expressed overall support for the measures, since computer companies and Internet service providers are often the first line of defense to consumers seeking to safeguard their computers.

Steve DelBianco, executive director of the Washington-based NetChoice Coalition, a trade association of e-commerce businesses and online consumers, said he agrees with Harrisburg's approach to go after bad conduct in the case of spyware, rather than regulate technology.

Industry has a stake in making sure the public trust in e-commerce is not eroded, he said.

The next step for the Senate bills is to get a hearing and a vote on the Senate floor. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Chip Brightbill, R-48 (Berks), said the leadership wants to see the bills passed by summer recess in July.

Wonderling represents Quakertown and nine other Upper Bucks communities as well as parts of Montgomery, Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Alison Hawkes can be reached at 717-705-6330 or ahawkes@calkins-media.com.


June 14, 2005 5:27 AM