In the example given for a data breach notification letter, two economic theories that are relevant include “Tragedy of the Commons” and “cost-benefit analysis.” The tragedy of the commons refers to the consequences that arise when individual incentives drive the misuse or exploitation of shared resources. It underscores the danger of data privacy concerns, as individuals are encouraged to put their own needs above others (Stein, 2022). Cost-benefit analyses are valuable to assess the monetary impacts and the financial decisions related to security measures. From an evidence-based approach, “Social Contract Theory” unveils the implications of distrust that arise between the affected parties and the organization, while “Diffusion of Responsibility” illustrates how individuals tend to diminish their responsibility within an organizational setting.
Below is the data breach notification letter from Glasswasherparts.com_.pdf (dojmt.gov)
Stein, G. M. (2022). Environmental Justice and the Tragedy of the Commons. Calif. L. Rev. Online, 13, 10.
SAMPLE DATABREACHNOTIFICATION
[Customer First Name] [Customer Last Name]
[Address 1]
[Address 2]
[City, State, Zip]
Dear Customer,
NOTICE OF DATABREACH
Wearewriting to you because of an incident involving access to information associated with online
purchases made on our website www.glasswasherparts.com. Although we are unaware of any actual
misuse of your information, we are providing notice to you and other potentially affected customers
about the incident, and about tools you can use to protect yourself against possible identity theft or
fraud.
What Happened?
Wewereinformedon February 6, 2017 that our website www.glasswasherparts.com experienced an
intrusion last year. Our site is operated for us by a third-party company (our “platform provider”), and it
was the platform provider’s systems that experienced the intrusion. The intruder or intruders placed
malware on the platform provider’s servers, and by doing so gained access to our customers’ payment
card data. To date, the investigation indicates that the intrusion began in approximately February 2016
and ended in December2016. The attackers gained access to customer information including payment
card numbers as customermade transactions on the platform provider’s systems, and had access to
historical payment card data. Because you have provided your payment card information to us in the
past, we are notifying you about this data breach.
You maywonderwhyyouare hearing about the breach now. The platform provider for
www.glasswasherparts.com did not discover the breach until November. In addition, law enforcement
is investigating, and asked that notification to customers be delayed to allow the investigation to move
forward.
What Information Was Involved?
The information that the attacker had access to includes your first and last name, your address, your
phone number and anydebit or credit card numbers with expiration dates you may have used on our
website.
What AreWeDoing?
Our platform provider has worked with a leading cybersecurity firm to remove the malware from its
systems and is actively monitoring the platform to safeguard personal information. Our platform
provider has also contacted and offered its cooperation to federal law enforcement.
What YouCanDo?
To protect yourself from the possibility of identify theft, we recommend you immediately contact your
credit or debit card company and inform them that your card information may have been compromised,
so that they can issue you a replacement card. Review your banking and card statements and report
any suspicious activity to the relevant financial institutions.
For more information on identify theft, we suggest that you visit the website of the California Office of
Privacy Protection at www.privacy.ca.gov.
For More Information
If there is anything else that we can do to assist you, please call 954-960-1468 weekdays between the
hours of 10am and5pm