Friday, April 29, 2011

Politicians want a word with tech companies

Privacy lapses and mistakes tend to cause lawsuits, but following a series of privacy issues, Sony, Apple and Google will be facing members of the U.S. Congress as well:

Sony: Sony’s Playstation Network underwent a massive hacking attack, and hackers are now believed to be trying to sell a database of 2.2 million Playstation owners’ credit cards on underground forums, as well as exposing 77 million users’ account information, according to Gawker.

Rep. Bobby Rush, of Illinois, announced Wednesday that he would reintroduce data security legislation similar to a bill he introduced in the previous session of Congress. Rush said the bill “requires ‘for-profit’ entities holding data containing consumers’ personal information to have reasonable and appropriate security measures in place to protect that data,” Broadcasting & Cable reported.

Apple: Following problems with iPhones and iPads storing location data, it is likely Apple will testify before Congress, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said Wednesday, according to Politico. Earlier this week, Sen. Al Franken, of Minnesota, said he will hold a hearing next month called “Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy.”

Google: The online search giant is also expected to testify at the same hearing, held by Franken. Lawmakers are concerned that Google’s Android phones, along with iPhones, “collect, store and track user location data without the user’s consent,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, of Vermont, according to Computer World.

Image: Rolo Del Campo’s flickr photostream

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