What do data breach notification laws require organizations to do?

Data breach notification laws mandate that organizations inform individuals whose personal data has been compromised during a breach. The primary goal of these laws is to ensure transparency and to give affected individuals the necessary information to protect themselves, such as monitoring their accounts for suspicious activity or taking steps to mitigate potential harm.

When a data breach occurs, organizations must notify affected individuals promptly, usually within a specified timeframe, and provide relevant information about what data was compromised and what the organization is doing in response. This notification plays a crucial role in maintaining trust and accountability between organizations and their customers or users.

The other options, while important aspects of an overall security strategy, do not align directly with the specific requirements set forth by data breach notification laws. Encrypting data can help prevent breaches, monitoring employee activities may deter insider threats, and conducting regular audits can identify vulnerabilities. However, these actions do not specifically address the obligation to notify individuals when their data has been compromised. Thus, the correct answer focuses on the legal requirement to keep individuals informed.