The recent filing of a class action lawsuit against Anthem, Inc. is the latest example of the havoc data breaches can wreak on companies and their customers. Nearly 165,000 people were affected by the hacking of the nation’s second-largest health insurance company’s data systems. The lawsuit, filed in Kansas, claims that Anthem failed to provide adequate safeguards to protect customers’ personal and health information.
The spate of data breaches just during the past year—Primera Blue Cross, Anthem, Sony Pictures, Staples, Home Depot, JPMorgan Chase and Michaels—has heightened the government’s concern about the nation’s economic and cybersecurity. The federal government is using new laws and regulations to give data-holders greater incentives to protect their customers’ private information. These actions are increasing the legal liabilities and accountability of businesses as the data holders.
