Cory Bennett reports that Reps. Joe Barton and Bobby Rush have re-introduced the Data Accountability and Trust Act (DATA) in the House – a bill this blog has been reporting on since 2009. The measure:
would deputize the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to set nationwide data security standards for companies handling sensitive data, such as full names, Social Security numbers, ID information and credit card information.
If this information was exposed by hackers, companies would have to notify the customers and the FTC. They also could face civil penalties of up to $5 million if they hadn’t adhered to the commission’s security standards.