Companies struggling to keep up with a patchwork of state laws related to data privacy and information security have three more to contend with, as new security-breach notification laws went into effect in Illinois, Louisiana and New Jersey on Jan. 1. Like existing statutes in more than 20 other states, the new laws prescribe various actions that companies are required to take in the event of a security breach involving the compromise of personal data about their customers.

For instance, New Jersey’s Identity Theft Prevention Act requires businesses to destroy all unneeded customer data and to notify consumers when sensitive data about them has been accessed by an unauthorized person. The law also limits the use of Social Security numbers on all items that are sent via postal mail.

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