The Massachusetts legislation, known as the Standards for the Protection of Personal Information of Residents of the Commonwealth, is very far-reaching and considered the strictest regulations to date. The new law adds to Massachusetts' already stringent security regulations, by requiring all portable personal data about any Massachusetts resident to be encrypted. This applies to data transmitted over public networks, or that is stored on a laptop, or on any type of removable memory device. The law requires other mandatory security procedures, including updated user authentication and authorization.