The Hill reports on senators’ calls to take action on data privacy legislation in the wake of the Target breach, while on the same day, Federal Trade Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen called for “regulatory humility” in light of the emerging Internet of Things market. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NB) said, “Our nation’s entire data security system is in desperate need of revamping … That’s going to require congressional action.” Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) also reintroduced his Personal Data Privacy and Security Act. Amidst such calls for legislative action, Ohlhausen said in prepared remarks at the Consumer Electronics Show that if new technologies do give rise to harms, “we should carefully consider whether existing laws and regulations are sufficient to address them before assuming that new rules are required.” Meanwhile, in light of a recent GAO report, Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are calling on agencies to adhere more strictly to federal guidelines and for the Office of Management and Budget to update its policies and increase oversight of breach procedures. Editor’s Note: Ohlhausen will be a speaker at this year’s IAPP Global Privacy Summit in Washington, DC, March 5-7.
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