Government Report on One Year Anniversary of Equifax Breach Finds No Action by Federal Agencies
The Government Accountability Office released a report on "Actions Taken by Equifax and Federal Agencies in Response to the 2017 Breach." The GAO report details the Equifax data breach in 2017 that compromised the authenticating details (SSN, Data of Birth) of over one hundred million Americans. The response also summarizes the response of Equifax and federal agencies. To date no federal agency has taken action against Equifax, following one of the largest data breaches in US history. Rep. Luetkemeyer (R-MO) has introduced a bill that would codify basic data breach notification standards for the financial services industry but would preempt stronger state laws. The House Financial Services Committee is expected to mark up the bill this week. In testimony before the House Financial Services Committee in February, EPIC called on Congress to ensure that the CFPB takes action against Equifax and to pass comprehensive data protection regulation that would not preempt state laws.