California's Information Practices Act (SB 1386)

California's Database Security Breach Notification Act (SB 1386) and General Security Standard for Businesses (AB 1950) require companies and government agencies that store personal information on California residents to implement safety procedures that safeguard data and disclose any breach of security to the individuals affected.  Personal information includes an individual's first name or first initial and last name in combination with any one or more of the following data elements:

• Social security number, driver’s license number or California identification card number
• Account number, credit or debit card number, in combination with any required security code, access code or password that permits access to an account
• Medical information

Companies that fail to implement information security procedures and/or disclose security breaches face potential liability from class action suits and irreversible brand damage.  Furthermore, Congressional legislation is under consideration to set a national standard similar to California's for protecting personal information. 

Complying With SB 1386

Liquid Machines Document Control and Email Control allow organizations that face these regulations to protect personal information in documents and email from unauthorized access or use by: 

• Encrypting information at all times when at rest or in transit
• Enabling the organization to define policies that automatically ensure only authorized personnel can access personal information in documents or email
• Providing detailed logs and audit trails of content access and usage in a format that can be easily stored, viewed and imported into other enterprise systems
• Supporting compliance activities without changing the way users work