In the aftermath of the various data breaches that occurred in 2014 across enterprises, retailers and government organisations, including the much speculated hack in November of Sony Pictures, U.S. President Barack Obama called for stringent data laws to protect citizen privacy and data, while speaking at Pellissippi State College in Knoxville, Tennessee on January 9, 2015.
“Major companies get hacked. America’s personal information, including financial information, gets stolen. And the problem is growing and it costs us billions of dollars,” he said.
It is expected that the U.S. President will call for ‘new federal legislation requiring hacked private companies to report quickly the compromise of consumer data,’ reports P.C. World. The New York Times has quoted White House officials as saying that emphasis will also be laid on laws to prevent tech firms from generating revenue on data gleaned from schools.
Dubbed the Personal Data Notification and Protection Act will be discussed with the Federal Trade Commission, setting up a 30 days time frame within which hacked companies must report breach. The FTC will hold power to hold companies responsible that do not stay in line with the new laws.
Earlier last week, while the President was promulgating the new data laws, the Twitter feed of U.S. Central Command, was hacked by a miscreant claiming association with Islamic State militants, reports Reuters. The White House is investigating the hack, however, noting that the social media hack was a lesser concern as compared to database breaches.
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(Image credit: Charles Tsevis, via Flickr)
