Data Breach Requirements: Ohio R.C. § 1349.19.
The numbering and internal citations herein are derived from the applicable state statute.
Personal Information
The term “personal information” means an individual’s name, consisting of the individual’s first name or first initial and last name, in combination with and linked to any one or more of the following data elements, when the data elements are not encrypted, redacted, or altered by any method or technology in such a manner that the data elements are unreadable:
(i) Social Security number;
(ii) Driver’s license number or state identification card number;
(iii) Account number or credit or debit card number, in combination with and linked to any required security code, access code, or password that would permit access to an individual’s financial account.
Security Breach Definition
The term “breach of the security of the system” means unauthorized access to and acquisition of computerized data that compromises the security or confidentiality of personal information owned or licensed by a person and that causes, reasonably is believed to have caused, or reasonably is believed will cause a material risk of identity theft or other fraud to the person or property of an Ohio resident.
Good Faith Exception
Good faith acquisition of personal information by an employee or agent of the person for the purposes of the person is not a breach of the security of the system, provided that the personal information is not used for an unlawful purpose or subject to further unauthorized disclosure.
Risk of Harm Analysis
Any person that owns or licenses computerized data that includes personal information shall disclose any breach of the security of the system, following its discovery or notification of the breach of the security of the system, to any resident of this state whose personal information was, or reasonably is believed to have been, accessed and acquired by an unauthorized person if the access and acquisition by the unauthorized person causes or reasonably is believed will cause a material risk of identity theft or other fraud to the resident.
Notification Timeline
The breach notification shall be made in the most expedient time possible, but not later than 45 days following its discovery or notification of the breach in the security of the system, subject to the legitimate needs of law enforcement activities and consistent with any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach, including which residents’ personal information was accessed and acquired, and to restore the reasonable integrity of the data system.
Security and Investigation Exceptions
The breach notification may be delayed if a law enforcement agency determines that the disclosure or notification will impede a criminal investigation or jeopardize homeland or national security, in which case the person shall make the disclosure or notification after the law enforcement agency determines that disclosure or notification will not compromise the investigation or jeopardize homeland or national security.
Notification Content Requirements
N/A
Delivery Methods
A breach notice may be provided by one of the following methods:
(1) Written notice;
(2) Electronic notice, if the person’s primary method of communication with the resident to whom the disclosure must be made is by electronic means;
(3) Telephone notice;
(4) Substitute notice in accordance with this division, if the person required to disclose demonstrates that the person does not have sufficient contact information to provide notice in a manner described in division (E)(1), (2), or (3) of this section, or that the cost of providing disclosure or notice to residents to whom disclosure or notification is required would exceed $250,000, or that the affected class of subject residents to whom disclosure or notification is required exceeds 500,000 persons. Substitute notice under this division shall consist of all of the following: (a) Email notice if the person has an email address for the resident to whom the disclosure must be made; (b) Conspicuous posting of the disclosure or notice on the person’s website, if the person maintains one; (c) Notification to major media outlets, to the extent that the cumulative total of the readership, viewing audience, or listening audience of all of the outlets so notified equals or exceeds 75 percent of the population of this state.
(5) Substitute notice in accordance with this division, if the person required to disclose demonstrates that the person is a business entity with ten employees or fewer and that the cost of providing the disclosures or notices to residents to whom disclosure or notification is required will exceed $10,000. Substitute notice under this division shall consist of all of the following: (a) Notification by a paid advertisement in a local newspaper that is distributed in the geographic area in which the business entity is located, which advertisement shall be of sufficient size that it covers at least one-quarter of a page in the newspaper and shall be published in the newspaper at least once a week for three consecutive weeks; (b) Conspicuous posting of the disclosure or notice on the business entity’s website, if the entity maintains one; (c) Notification to major media outlets in the geographic area in which the business entity is located.
Substitute Notice
See Delivery Methods.
Notice to Government Agencies
N/A
Consumer Reporting Agencies
If a person discovers circumstances that require disclosure under this section to more than 1,000 residents of this state involved in a single occurrence of a breach of the security of the system, the person shall notify, without unreasonable delay, all consumer reporting agencies of the timing, distribution, and content of the disclosure given by the person to the residents of this state.
Preemption and Compliance
A financial institution, trust company, or credit union or any affiliate of a financial institution, trust company, or credit union that is required by federal law, including, but not limited to, any federal statute, regulation, regulatory guidance, or other regulatory action, to notify its customers of an information security breach with respect to information about those customers and that is subject to examination by its functional government regulatory agency for compliance with the applicable federal law, is exempt from the requirements of this section.
This law does not apply to any person or entity that is a covered entity as defined in 45 C.F.R. 160.103, as amended.
Data Processor Obligations
Any person that, on behalf of or at the direction of another person or on behalf of or at the direction of any governmental entity, is the custodian of or stores computerized data that includes personal information, shall notify that other person or governmental entity of any breach of the security of the system in an expeditious manner, if the personal information was, or reasonably is believed to have been, accessed and acquired by an unauthorized person and if the access and acquisition by the unauthorized person causes or reasonably is believed will cause a material risk of identity theft or other fraud to a resident of this state.
Other Information
The data breach notification may be made pursuant to any provision of a contract entered into by the person with another person prior to the date the breach of the security of the system occurred if that contract does not conflict with any provision of this law and does not waive any provision of this law.