Target, FTC, DOJ to appear before Senate panel

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear from representatives from Target and federal agencies during a hearing next month on data security.

The hearing comes among calls for increased Congressional action in the area of data security, sparked by a Target data breach that make vulnerable the financial and personal information of tens of thousands of customers. 

{mosads}Earlier this month, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) reintroduced a data security bill that would require companies to protect databases of user information and create criminal penalties for companies that hide data breaches.

The Senate Judiciary hearing will include testimony from Target Chief Financial Officer John Mulligan and Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, the Committee announced Wednesday.

A representative from consumer advocacy group Consumers Union and officials from the Secret Service and the Department of Justice are also scheduled to testify.

The hearing, titled “Privacy in the Digital Age: Preventing Data Breaches and Combating Cybercrime,” will take place on Feb. 4 and will be webcast on the Committee’s site.