Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) used Home Depot's admission of a data breach to put in a plug for his bill protecting consumers personal information.
“While its customers are working on home improvement, Home Depot needs to focus its attention on data security improvement," Markey said in a statement following Home Depot's announcement that the breach could extend as far back as April.
"I have serious concerns about possible identity theft and other fraud that could be caused by the release of sensitive customer information. Home Depot needs to provide immediate explanation of what the company is doing to fix the security weaknesses exploited by criminals and assist consumers in Massachusetts and throughout the country whose data may have been exposed."
Pointing out it was not the first or likely the last report of such a breach, Markey pointed to his bill, co-sponsored by Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the Personal Data Protection and Breach Accountability Act, which he has argued would "deter preventable breaches, minimize consumer harm, and promote technical information-sharing."
