Privacy & Information Security Law Blog

On March 18, 2020, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law a bill amending Washington State’s Agency Breach Notification Law (“Agency Breach Law”). The Agency Breach Law applies to all state and local agencies, including state and municipal offices, departments, bureaus and commissions.

The amendment changes the Agency Breach Law’s definition of personal information to add “the last four digits of the social security number” as a data element that when combined with an individual’s name—or under other specified circumstances—constitutes covered personal information. The Agency Breach Law already listed complete social security numbers as data elements. The amendment takes effect June 11, 2020. This amendment comes on the heels of the state’s failure to pass the Washington Privacy Act earlier this month.