Equifax Hearings Continue on the Hill

Former Equifax chief Richard Smith returned to Capitol Hill for a second day of congressional hearings into his company’s data breach, this time appearing before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.

Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) characterized the Equifax breach as “shocking and concerning,” sentiments that were shared by both Republicans and Democrats alike. Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-OH) went further and said that “a goldmine for hackers” such as the trove of personal information stored by Equifax “should be a digital Fort Knox.” Brown continued to criticize Smith and Equifax for their handling of the breach, saying that the American public has grown accustomed to large companies getting off the hook for perpetrating similar large scale scandals.

During the hearing Smith unveiled Equifax’s plan to allow consumers to control access to their credit data by allowing them to lock and unlock their data at any time and at no cost. His proposal drew interest from the Banking committee members, who inquired about the details and logistics of the plan. According to Smith, this tool will roll out to consumers in early 2018.

The tool’s objectives mirror those of a bill touted by Representative Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) in the previous day’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Equifax breach. The Free Credit Freeze Act, H.R. 3878, would allow consumers to freeze and unfreeze their credit data at any time at no charge.

Smith is slated to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee later this afternoon and before the House Financial Services Committee tomorrow morning. Whether after five high profile hearings Congress is able to come together with legislative solutions to both prevent such breaches from occurring in the future and mitigate the damage from the still-unfolding Equifax breach remains to be seen.

About The Author

Robert Freeman is located in the Washington D. C. office and brings with him more than 15 years of bicameral Congressional experience to Cozen O’Connor, having held several ranking staff positions with federal legislators. Robert is a registered lobbyist and is actively involved in politics. His practice areas include, but are not limited to, technology, defense, homeland security, procurement, appropriations, competitive sourcing, transportation, energy, trade, and foreign relations.

Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Posted in Cyber crimes, Cyberattack, Data Breach, Data Security, Litigation, Privacy
About Cyber Law Monitor
In the new digital world, individuals and businesses are almost entirely dependent on computer technology and electronic communications to function on a daily basis. Although the power of modern technology is a source of opportunity and inspiration—it also poses huge challenges, from protecting privacy and securing proprietary data to adhering to fast-changing statutory and regulatory requirements. The Cyber Law Monitor blog covers privacy, data security, technology, and cyber space. It tracks major legal and policy developments and provides analysis of current events.
Subscribe For Updates

cyberlawmonitor

Cozen O’Connor Blogs