Consumer Confidential: This bill would make it easier for businesses to keep data breaches under wraps

It's breathtaking how far U.S. businesses will go to avoid the embarrassment, accountability and possible financial consequences of having to reveal to consumers they got hacked.

This has been a particularly relevant issue in light of the massive data-security breach involving credit agency Equifax, which last week raised the number of people affected by its privacy lapse to 148 million. The company first announced the breach in September after sitting on the information for more than a month.

Last week, a congressional hearing was held on a draft bill aimed at creating a national standard for breach notifications. It's a dubious piece of legislation for a number of reasons, not least