Attorney General Eric Holder urged Congress to pass...

Attorney General Eric Holder urged Congress to pass legislation that would create “a strong, national standard” that would require companies to alert consumers when a data breach may have compromised their information. National requirements on data breach notification would aid ongoing law enforcement efforts and “would empower the American people to protect themselves” if they are at a heightened risk of identity theft, Holder said Monday in a video posted on the Justice Department’s website. The law should include an exemption for “harmless” data breaches to “avoid placing unnecessary burdens” on responsible businesses, Holder said (1.usa.gov/1fyydPq). In the wake of recent breaches at Michaels, Neiman Marcus and Target which exposed consumers’ information, Congress has been exploring legislation that would institute rules for data breach customer notification. Bills under consideration include the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act (S-1897), the Data Security Act (S-1927) and the Data Security and Breach Notification Act (S-1976). Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said in a statement that S-1976, which he introduced in late January, “would create this strong standard for notification when consumers’ personal information has been compromised. I know my colleagues understand how important it is to act urgently on data security legislation and I hope they work with me to pass this bill.” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said in a statement that he welcomes Holder “to the discussion on how to address this growing problem.” House Judiciary has been studying its own data breach proposals and has been collecting input through hearings and other consultations that analyze the issue “from various perspectives,” Goodlatte said. House Commerce Trade Subcommittee Chairman Lee Terry, R-Neb., said in a statement that Holder should concentrate on prosecuting “hacktivists,” saying “Congress does the hard work of drafting legislation through the committee process and not the Administration through weekly addresses on You Tube.” Terry said he has been calling for a federal data breach notification standard for months and plans to explore the issue again during a subcommittee hearing on the FTC set for Friday.