Is Your Private Information Safe? Missouri's New Data Breach Law

Identity theft. You hope it won’t happen to you. You do the best you can to protect your information--you shred old documents, you don’t give out information to certain sites and companies. But at the end of the day, maybe its someone else who will let your private information slip. Countless entities you deal with have your personal information. But what are they doing with it?

Missouri enacted a new statute, RSMo. §407.1500, requiring those who hold your personal information to disclose security breaches to you. By law, if identity theft or fraud is likely to occur due to a security breach, those who have your private information must give you notice. Only “personal information” is covered though, not what is publicly available. The statute defines “personal information” as your first name (or initial) and your last name combined with any of the following:

-social security number;

-driver’s license number or some other unique ID number created/collected by the government;

-financial account number, credit card number, or debit card number in combination with the security code, access code, or password that would permit access to your account;

-electronic identifier or routing code, in combination with the required code or password to access your financial account;

-medical information; or

-health insurance information.

This new law won’t stop identity theft from occurring, but at least now consumers will receive some warning so they can take action to protect themselves. Be informed of your rights. The full statute, including the specifics of what must be included in the notification, is available at the following link: www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C400-499/4070001500.HTM

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