Big Data Breaches Shine Spotlight On Laws Impacting Employee Data Protection

It seems like almost every week we learn of a massive new data breach, risking the loss of thousands of individuals' personal and confidential information to a faceless hacker halfway around the world.

A quick internet search for the latest news about data breaches reveals the sheer volume of information hacked or leaked on a daily basis, ranging from our Social Security and bank account numbers to protected health information, our consumer preferences, and more.  And, of course, where there are breaches, there is litigation.  In fact, just this week, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (covering Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin) ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a consumer class action case where the alleged hack resulted in disclosure of customer names, credit and debit card numbers, expiration dates, and PINs.