Section 2 Regulations to safeguard personal information of commonwealth residents - Massachusetts Statutes

Section 2. (a) The department of consumer affairs and business regulation shall adopt regulations relative to any person that owns or licenses personal information about a resident of the commonwealth. Such regulations shall be designed to safeguard the personal information of residents of the commonwealth and shall be consistent with the safeguards for protection of personal information set forth in the federal regulations by which the person is regulated. The objectives of the regulations shall be to: insure the security and confidentiality of customer information in a manner fully consistent with industry standards; protect against anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information; and protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information that may result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any consumer. The regulations shall take into account the person’s size, scope and type of business, the amount of resources available to such person, the amount of stored data, and the need for security and confidentiality of both consumer and employee information.

(b) The supervisor of records, with the advice and consent of the information technology division to the extent of its jurisdiction to set information technology standards under paragraph (d) of section 4A of chapter 7, shall establish rules or regulations designed to safeguard the personal information of residents of the commonwealth that is owned or licensed. Such rules or regulations shall be applicable to: (1) executive offices and any agencies, departments, boards, commissions and instrumentalities within an executive office; and (2) any authority created by the General Court, and the rules and regulations shall take into account the size, scope and type of services provided thereby, the amount of resources available thereto, the amount of stored data, and the need for security and confidentiality of both consumer and employee information. The objectives of the rules or regulations shall be to: insure the security and confidentiality of personal information; protect against anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information; and to protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any resident of the commonwealth.

(c) The legislative branch, the judicial branch, the attorney general, the state secretary, the state treasurer and the state auditor shall adopt rules or regulations designed to safeguard the personal information of residents of the commonwealth for their respective departments and shall take into account the size, scope and type of services provided by their departments, the amount of resources available thereto, the amount of stored data, and the need for security and confidentiality of both consumer and employee information. The objectives of the rules or regulations shall be to: insure the security and confidentiality of customer information in a manner fully consistent with industry standards; protect against anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information; and protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any resident of the commonwealth.