According to the state Attorney General’s office, a coalition of 50 attorneys general, including Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, struck a $52 million settlement with Marriott International, Inc. over a data breach.
A press release from the state Attorney General’s office stated that Tennessee will receive little more than $919,000 as a result of the settlement. It has been stated that a years-long probe led to the settlement.
Marriott purchased Starwood in 2016 and assumed control of the Starwood computer firm. According to the settlement, “intruders” had access to over 131 million guest records within the Starwood system.
Without anyone noticing, they allegedly started exporting the personal data of the visitors. The visitor records contained names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, details about unexpired credit cards, and birthdates.
“When Tennesseans submit their personal information to a company, they expect that to stay private,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti stated. “A breach of this magnitude is not just a violation of privacy; it’s a violation of trust. Our Office is proud to have worked alongside Connecticut and 48 attorneys general to hold Marriott International accountable and ensure protections for consumers’ personal data.”
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The announcement also stated that the corporation and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had achieved a parallel settlement. Along with the settlement, the Marriott Corporation also committed to enhancing and strengthening its cybersecurity procedures going forward by:
- Putting in place a thorough information security program
- For twenty years, Marriott’s information security program will be evaluated by an impartial third party every two years.
- Requirements for data minimization and disposal
- Requirements for security of customer data
“Affected Tennesseans will receive specific protections going forward, including data deletion, account monitoring, and an option for multifactor authentication on any Marriott account,” Skrmetti continued.
Via: tn.gov
