Mexico's lower house approved Dec. 13 a bill that will hold banks, among other institutions, legally responsible for protecting the personal information of their clients.

The Cámara de Diputados voted 318 for and 77 against the bill, which is known as the General Law for the Protection of Personal Data, with 34 abstentions.

The bill has already been approved by the Senate and now awaits promulgation by the executive branch.

But not everyone was happy with the bill, El Economista reported. Some lawmakers said it gives companies the ability to obtain "tacit consent" from clients to use their personal information. Such consent is considered granted when clients do not respond to a company's request within a certain period of time, the report said.

However, clients who feel their information has been misused can complain to the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data.