Another day, another Schwarzenegger veto comes soaring into our inbox. This one is from reader Hassan, who is concerned about data security.

From Ars Technica:

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a legislative proposal that aimed to increase California’s data protection standards. The proposed law, AB 779, imposed stronger data protection requirements than the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, an industry-created standard for protecting consumer data.

Governor Schwarzenegger objects to the broad scope of the law and argues that compliance would be excessively costly and burdensome for small businesses. The Governor also argues that the industry is better equipped than lawmakers to evaluate the need for higher standards. “Protecting the personal information of every Californian is very important to me and I am committed to strong laws that safeguard every individual’s privacy and prevent identity theft,” the Governor wrote in a veto statement. “However, this bill attempts to legislate in an area where the marketplace has already assigned responsibilities and liabilities that provide for the protection of consumers.”

Ars says the bill was immensely popular and passed in a landslide, suggesting that there may be enough of a margain to overrule the veto.

We would just like to mention out of fairness that one bill Governor Schwarzenegger did not veto was a law giving “image copyright” to the estates of dead celebrities who lived in California. We’re glad that this got resolved. Tacky Marilyn Monroe calendars are a serious consumer issue—a blight upon our nation’s Barnes & Nobles.

Gov. Schwarzenegger says “hasta la vista” to California data protection law [Ars Technica]
Law Decides Who Owns a Dead Star’s Image [NPR]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.