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WASHINGTON (AP) — The data breach at Target has refocused attention on the patchwork of state consumer notification laws — and it's renewed a push for a national standard.
Most states have laws requiring retailers to disclose data breaches, but those laws vary.
Consumers in one state might immediately be told that their personal information has been exposed. But that might not happen elsewhere.
Requirements for businesses depend on where companies are located.
Attorney General Eric Holder has joined the call for a nationwide notification standard.
Consumer groups don't want to weaken existing protections.
Retailers want laws that are easier to comply with and say that too much notification isn't necessarily the best way.
Congress is exploring how a federal standard should be enforced and what the threshold should be for notification.
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