Oklahoma Just Strengthened Its Data Breach Law, How That Affects You from 2026 Onward?

Oklahoma has recently tightened its data breach law, imposing additional obligations on parties who have failed to protect your personal information. If you have been the victim of a data breach, an Oklahoma attorney at Federman & Sherwood can work for you to be compensated.

The new law does not necessarily enhance your ability to receive compensation, but it does impose additional obligations on entities to report more data breaches and do it in an expedited fashion. The state may impose penalties on an entity that does not comply with the law. At the same time, following the requirements of the statute can potentially mitigate penalties that the entity may face.

Schedule a free initial consultation with an Oklahoma data breach lawyer at Federman & Sherwood to learn whether you may qualify for financial compensation. When someone has Let You Down by exposing your personal data, we can get justice for you.

Oklahoma Has Passed New Data Breach Requirements

Since there is no one overarching National Data privacy law, regulation comes at the state level. Each state has its own individual law that imposes obligations on entities that hold your personal data. Oklahoma has recently taken steps to toughen its data breach law and provide greater protection to consumers. If you have been the victim of a data breach in Oklahoma, you may have the ability to file a lawsuit to seek compensation.

Senate Bill 626 has recently been enacted and became law without the signature of the governor. It takes effect on January 1, 2026. The law applies to any entity that possesses personal information of Oklahoma residents. One of the first ways that the law increased protections for consumers was by expanding the definition of “personal information.” The law now includes certain biometric information, such as fingerprints and retinal scans, and personal information that is subject to data breach protection.

Entities Must Report More Data Breaches

The law operates from the standpoint that the government must know about data breaches as soon as possible, so they can investigate and take potential action. Accordingly, the law lowers the threshold that triggers a requirement for the entity to inform the Attorney General’s office of the breach. Now, entities must notify the Attorney General’s office when there is a breach that affects 500 or more Oklahoma residents (or more than 1,000 people in total). They must make this notification within 60 days after they have provided notice to those affected by the breach.

The Attorney General Can Seek Greater Civil Penalties

SB 626 also strengthens the civil penalties that the Attorney General may seek when they file a lawsuit against an entity that has failed to comply with data breach rules. The Attorney General now may seek up to $150,000 in civil penalties (in addition to actual damages) from an entity that allowed data to be exposed in a breach. Data privacy advocates maintain that even these increased penalties are nowhere near enough to deter businesses from being careless, and these penalties should be much higher.

The law does provide a helpful framework for entities by informing them how they may be able to escape civil penalties in a lawsuit filed by the Attorney General. There are two things that an entity can qualify for a so-called “safe harbor.”

• Provides the proper breach notification to both consumers and authorities
• Implements “reasonable safeguards,” such as risk assessments, layered technical and physical defenses, employee training, and incident response planning

However, being protected from a lawsuit filed by the government and not being held liable in a civil lawsuit filed by effective consumers are two different matters. Even if there are some safeguards in place, the entity could still need to pay you damages that you have suffered in a data breach.

SB 626 is aimed more at the entities that hold your personal data than it is at giving you rights to sue. You already have the right to file a data breach lawsuit if your personal information has been compromised, and you have suffered damages. If anything, SB 626 could make it easier for you to sue for an Oklahoma data breach if you can prove that the entity failed to follow the law. This could be evidence of negligence that could help you win a lawsuit that you have filed under common law.

Contact an Oklahoma Data Breach Law Firm Today

You are not powerless when your personal data has been compromised. Speak to an Oklahoma data breach lawyer at Federman & Sherwood to learn more about what you can do to take legal action. You can schedule a free initial consultation with an Oklahoma data breach attorney by filling out an online contact form or by calling us today at 800-237-1277.