Bicameral bill would give OPM breach victims lifetime identity protection

Published Aug 3, 03:00 PM UTC

Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) introduced the RECOVER PII Act to provide lifetime identity protection to the 22.1 million federal employees, contractors, and their families affected by the 2015 Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breaches linked to China. The current 10-year identity protection program, MyIDCare, is set to expire on September 30, 2026. The bill would replace the existing 10-year limit with lifelong coverage and retain at least $5 million in identity-theft insurance. It would also allow agencies to reimburse employees for privacy tools. The breaches exposed Social Security numbers, security clearance records, and other sensitive data, which intelligence services could exploit over time. Similar bills have failed in the past.