The State of Virginia has moved to establish consumer financial information privacy protections and to beef up the state's computer information security policy enforcement.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine signed a pair of executive orders to start the ball rolling. One, Executive Directive 5, instructs the Division of Consumer Services of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to pull together business and consumer advocates to develop options for enhancing consumer privacy in Virginia.

Kaine cited identity theft and the increase in consumer information made available by technological advances as the reasons for the orders. Such developments have fueled consumers' concerns about the confidentiality and resale of personal information held by private companies.

"I expect this group to look at a full range of options," Kaine said. He would like to see a "Do Not Sell" registry for consumer information, modeled on the federal "Do Not Call" registry, for example. The group must submit a report to the governor by Nov. 1, 2007.

Kaine also signed Executive Order 43, directing the state's Secretary of Technology to oversee efforts to examine state government data security policies and to ensure that they are enforced. The order follows a recent report from the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts that concluded a majority of state government agencies in Virginia could do more to protect personal consumer information. The order requires the Secretary of Technology to report to the governor by Oct. 15 of each year on information security compliance efforts undertaken by state government agencies and institutions.