PEWAUKEE, Wis. - Calling it an “ironic twist,” the Wisconsin CU League is noting that while lobbyists for Wisconsin grocers helped kill a consumer protection bill in the State Assembly this month that had the backing of CUs, thieves stole private data from as many as 4.2 million grocery shoppers’ cards from the Hannaford Bros. supermarket chain in Maine.
“If you oppose simple, common-sense consumer protection legislation, be assured that the consumer will be left holding the bag– and paying the cost–again,” said Brett Thompson, WCUL CEO.
The league had been a strong backer of AB 745 and Senate companion bill SB 439, which aimed in part at preventing the storage of personal card data by merchants following a transaction.
The legislation would have held a merchant liable for costs related to re-issuing consumers’ cards and monitoring accounts for fraud– among other things–but only if the breach had occurred at some point outside the processing of a transaction.
“Even when the rules are followed data is vulnerable to attack. So why would we not pass legislation that makes card security tighter by preventing risky merchant practices that fall outside the rules?” Thompson said. The legislation died in the Assembly after it was tabled.
