Data Breach Notification Letters

2009-09-04 by d2d

Many of our "regular" readers are keenly familiar with data breach notification letters. They've seen the Primary Sources Archive, or have been unfortunate enough to have the honor of receiving one, or potentially worse, have the unfortunate honor of drafting one. Many, however, have not. Nearly every state in the United States has adopted data breach legislation, and new adoptee-states continue to trickle in each year. Several federal legislative efforts are under way to blanket the nation, and one has even passed pertaining to medical data breaches. Internationally, the issue is also progressing.

Some states, like Massachusetts and Nevada have passed laws, or are in the process of considering legislation governing the implementation of practices to protect personally identifiable information. These requirements are bringing the issue to the people, forcing businesses small and large a-like to consider their security practices, from document disposal and retention periods, to data encryption and fraud prevention. While the effectiveness of these new laws is debatable, there is no question that the laws are forcing the issue to be considered, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

This is where the Primary Sources Archive can really help business of all sizes. We have samples of thousands of data breach notification letters, issued from companies big and small to various states in compliance with law. Wondering how a breach letter should look when sent to Massachusetts? We have hundreds of samples for you -- real world examples. Wondering how you should fill out the New York or North Carolina data breach notification forms? We have almost a thousand of those combined. Wondering what type of incidents people are notifying on in Maine? Peruse our collection! You can even find law firms that have specialty in data breach notifications, just by browsing through and seeing what firms are doing work from what companies.

The Primary Sources Archive really is an under-tapped resource for businesses of all sizes, be it the compliance department, the legal counsel, or the small business owner. We'd like to encourage any readers to forward links to the Archive off to their privacy officers, or counsel. You'd be amazed at how useful they may find it.