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Data-breach bill advances in Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Nov. 17 endorsed a bill that would require companies with data breaches to notify affected customers and would set up rules for the U.S. government’s use of private databases. The Personal Data Privacy and Security Act would also require businesses holding the personal data of more than 10,000 U.S. residents to implement data-protection policies. The bill is one of several related to data-breach notification.

Senate panel favors antispyware bill. A bill that would outlaw the practice of remotely installing software that collects computer users’ personal information without their consent won approval Nov. 17 from the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The Spyblock Act also would ban the installation of adware programs without an end-user’s permission, the IDG News Service reported.

DHS disaster-response database needs better security. A report by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general cites a lack of adequate continuity-of-operations plans and protections for sensitive data within the National Emergency Management Information System, the agency’s primary emergency preparations and response database. The report states that “due to database security exposures, there is an increased risk that unauthorized individuals could gain access to critical database resources.”

The Justice Department on Nov. 8 asked a judge to ensure that government users can continue to send e-mail on their BlackBerry devices while their vendor fights a lawsuit. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is in the midst of a several-years court battle with NTP over intellectual property rights of the devices.

Related:

• The Access Control Race