Here's an idea that sounds great until someone goes off on the "slippery slope" defense of not doing it.

In 2020, California will ban passwords that are deemed 'weak', such as "1234" or "password." The legislation is attempting to cut back on cyber attacks.

Every electronic device sold will be required by law to be given a unique, complex password by the manufacturer.

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The problem with a single-password being used for every device of a certain model is that people often don't change the initial password, which makes it REALLY easy to hack those devices.

What the bill also does is allow consumers to sue manufacturers if their devices are hacked.

The biggest concern that the bill is trying to address is government workers in possession of sensitive information but can't be bothered to give secure their devices with a strong password. I'm guessing that an additional result of the bill will be less money spent on retrieving stolen data and the overall monetary fallout that hacked devices (think Sony a few years ago) can pose.

Should Minnesota (or heck, the entire country) do the same? It looks like the burden will be on the manufacturers to come up with unique passwords for each device...which could lead to increased costs. But wouldn't greater security be worth a few extra bucks?


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