Information brokers that collect and sell personal data on virtually every U.S. adult should be subject to the same requirements to keep data secure as banks and other financial institutions, the head of the Federal Trade Commission told Congress yesterday. FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras told the Senate Banking Committee that better security is “an immediate need” in the largely unregulated database business. Her testimony comes after a series of breaches at companies resulted in private data on more than 175,000 people falling into the hands of identity thieves. Financial institutions are required to take a number of steps to safeguard personal information, including having written security plans, employee training and technology to detect and respond to intrusions. Some data brokers double as financial institutions and are covered by existing law. But other big players, such as ChoicePoint Inc. and LexisNexis Group, both of which suffered recent breaches, are not. Full Story
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