2023 New York Laws › GBS - General Business › Article 26 - Miscellaneous › 399-H - Disposal of Records Containing Personal Identifying Information.

§   399-h.   Disposal   of  records  containing  personal  identifying
information. 1. Definitions. For  the  purposes  of  this  section,  the
following words shall have the following meanings:
a. "Dispose" means to throw out or away or to get rid of and shall not
include a sale of a record or the transfer of a record for value;
b.  "Record"  means  any  information  kept,  held, filed, produced or
reproduced by, with or for a person or business entity, in any  physical
form  whatsoever  including,  but  not  limited to, reports, statements,
examinations,  memoranda,  opinions,  folders,  files,  books,  manuals,
pamphlets,  forms,  papers,  designs,  drawings,  maps, photos, letters,
microfilms, or computer tapes or discs;
c. "Personal information" shall  mean  any  information  concerning  a
natural  person  which, because of name, number, personal mark, or other
identifier, can be used to identify such natural person;
d. "Personal identifying information" shall mean personal  information
consisting of any information in combination with any one or more of the
following  data  elements,  when  either the personal information or the
data element is not encrypted, or encrypted with an encryption key  that
is  included in the same record as the encrypted personal information or
data element:
(i) social security number;
(ii) driver's license number or non-driver identification card number;
or
(iii) mother's maiden name, financial services account number or code,
savings account number or code, checking account number or  code,  debit
card number or code, automated teller machine number or code, electronic
serial number or personal identification number;
e. "Personal identification number" means any number or code which may
be used alone or in conjunction with any other information to assume the
identity  of  another  person or access financial resources or credit of
another person.
2. Disposal of records containing personal identifying information. No
person, business, firm, partnership, association,  or  corporation,  not
including  the  state  or its political subdivisions, shall dispose of a
record containing personal identifying information  unless  the  person,
business,  firm,  partnership,  association,  or  corporation,  or other
person under contract with the business, firm, partnership, association,
or corporation does any of the following:
a. shreds the record before the disposal of the record; or
b. destroys the personal  identifying  information  contained  in  the
record; or
c.  modifies  the  record to make the personal identifying information
unreadable; or
d. takes actions consistent with commonly accepted industry  practices
that it reasonably believes will ensure that no unauthorized person will
have  access  to  the  personal identifying information contained in the
record.
Provided, however, that an individual person shall not be required  to
comply with this subdivision unless he or she is conducting business for
profit.
3. Penalties; disposal and use. Whenever there shall be a violation of
this  section, an application may be made by the attorney general in the
name of the people of the state of New York to a court or justice having
jurisdiction to issue an injunction, and upon notice to the defendant of
not less than five days, to enjoin and restrain the continuance of  such
violations;  and  if it shall appear to the satisfaction of the court or
justice, that the defendant has,  in  fact,  violated  this  section  an
injunction  may  be  issued  by  such  court  or  justice  enjoining and

restraining any further violation,  without  requiring  proof  that  any
person  has,  in fact, been injured or damaged thereby. Whenever a court
shall determine that a violation of subdivision two of this section  has
occurred,  the  court  may  impose a civil penalty of not more than five
thousand dollars. Acts arising out of the same  incident  or  occurrence
shall  constitute a single violation. It shall be an affirmative defense
to a violation of subdivision two of this section if  the  business  can
show  that  it  used due diligence in its attempt to properly dispose of
such records.