The Massachusetts House has unanimously passed a bill that would require businesses to disclose breaches of customer data and allow customers to lock down their credit reports as a way to thwart identity theft, according to the Boston Globe.
The Senate was scheduled at deadline to take up a similar bill and legislative leaders said they expect a final bill soon.
The bill’s sponsors and consumer advocates have proposed similar measures in the past but the issue gained momentum recently after Framingham retailer TJX Cos. said computer hackers stole credit card from at least 45.7 million credit and debit cards over an 18-month period beginning in Dec. 2002 (Direct Newsline March 30).