Transparency lacking amid record high data breach incidence

Government Technology reports that data breaches reached 3,322 last year, which is the highest on record, but details regarding the security incidents have been lacking in 70% of breach notices.

Inadequate breach reporting transparency has been due to disparities in state laws and their implementation, findings from the Identity Theft Resource Center's 2025 Data Breach Report revealed. While laws mandating breach disclosures following personally identifiable information exposure are present across all states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, only 34 states have required breach reporting to state agencies.

"...[M]ost states don't require enough information to be included in breach notices, and even states with strong laws often don't enforce them, either because they lack a mechanism or the resources," said ITRC President James E. Lee. Additional findings showed that last year's PowerSchool hack was the largest cyber incident in the U.S. last year.