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Governor Signs Corman's Privacy Protection
Legislation
HARRISBURG -- Responding
to increasing public concern over identity theft and other privacy issues, the
Governor has signed into law legislation, authored by Sen. Jake Corman (R-34)
and unanimously approved by the General Assembly, which cracks down on those who
use misuse personal information in violation of published privacy statements.
Corman’s Senate Bill 705
became Act 202 of 2004 when the Governor signed it into law.
Corman authored Senate
Bill 705 to expand the definition of deceptive or fraudulent business practices
to include someone who knowingly makes a false or misleading statement in a
privacy policy regarding the use of personal information submitted by
individuals. The bill would apply to privacy policies published on the Internet
or otherwise distributed to the public.
“This legislation penalizes those companies that
mislead consumers into giving personal information, then use that information in
direct violation of the company’s published privacy statement,” Corman said.
Under Act 202, such a
violation would be considered a summary offense, and those found guilty could be
fined between $50 and $500 for each violation.
Corman, who chairs the
Senate Communications and Technology Committee, said the bill is part of a
comprehensive privacy package he has developed to better protect Pennsylvania
residents in the information age.
“In a world where information is the hottest
commodity around, we – as a society and individuals – have to take a hard look
at where the right to know ends and our right to privacy begins.”
Corman noted that consumers have increasingly
expressed concerns about invasions of their privacy and personal lives. A
recent Gallop poll found that Americans are deeply concerned about the
confidentiality of their medical information. Corman said the growth of the
Internet has also contributed to concerns about information tracking and data
collection and misuse.
He said the privacy issue is especially timely,
giving the soaring amount of data that is now being collected, examined and
marketed over the Internet, often without the knowledge of consumers.
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