California to Require More Detailed Data-Breach Notices

California is making its data breach notification law stricter.

The state's notification law was the model upon which nearly all other states based their notification laws in recent years. California requires a company that has a breach of sensitive personal information, such as bank account details, to inform consumers that their data was exposed.

The a new law, introduced by state Sen. Joe Simitian places specific requirements on breached organizations over what their notifications should include, SC Magazine reported Thursday. Simitian's law was vetoed twice by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said the added requirements would not necessarily be helpful to consumers, the article said.

"No one likes to get the news that personal information about them has been stolen," Simitian said. "But when it happens, people deserve to get the information they need to decide what to do next."

The new law requires that breach notifications include a description of the incident and of the data that was exposed. It also requires that organizations provide consumers with information they could use to guard against identity theft, the article said.

This information must also be provided to the state attorney general's office if the breach affects more than 500 people. The new law was signed Wednesday by Gov. Jerry Brown.