The recent WikiLeaks dump of documents on the Afghanistan war may have prompted questions of governmental leaks and intelligence security – but members of Congress have already introduced bills this Congress in a similar vein, regarding protecting the personal data of consumers.

S 1490is the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2009. Introduced by Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) in July of 2009, the bill seeks to prevent and mitigate identity theft, and provide notice and penalties regarding security breaches.

"This is a comprehensive bill that not only deals with the need to provide Americans with notice when they have been victims of a data breach, but that also deals with the underlying problem of lax security and lack of accountability to help prevent data breaches from occurring in the first place," he said.

Leahy first introduced a similar measure in 2005.

S 3579 is the Data Security Act of 2010. Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), who introduced the bill on July 14, said the bill requires financial institutions, retailers and federal agencies to protect sensitive information, investigate possible security breaches and notify consumers of when there is a breach or account fraud.
 
HR 2221, the Data Accountability and Trust Act, and requires similar measures as the above bills, noting in its title that these would be "reasonable security policies and procedures."

Introduced in April 2009, the bill is the only of three to have advanced from a chamber – which it did, on Dec. 8, 2009, under suspension of the rules.

— Stacey Skotzko, Congress.org