In recent months, computer hackers have breached the security of numerous businesses, putting millions of consumer information at risk.
In response, Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), chair of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, announced at a hearing earlier this week that she would draft legislation to address the problem.
“We need a uniform national standard for data security and data breach notification,” said Mack in her opening statement. “My legislation will be crafted around a guiding principle: Consumers should be promptly informed when their personal information has been jeopardized.”
Joining “The Communicators”, she said businesses and the federal government must do more to respond to these massive breaches. At Wednesday’s House hearing, she specifically criticized electronic giant Sony and e-mail marketing services company Epsilon for the time lapse in alerting customers to the breach.