Sen. Thune Seeks White House Info On Breach

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, has given the White House until May 15 to provide the committee with information on the White House data breach attributed to Russian hackers.

In a letter to the President, Thune pointed out that the Administration has proposed legislation requiring companies to notify consumers when their personally identifiable information (PII) has been compromised.

He said that while the hackers did not appear to have accessed classified information, it likely held PII of many Americans. he also said that increasing report of attacks on Executive Branch agencies raises serious questions to which he would like some answers.

To better understand the scope of the breach and how the White House is dealing with the potential exposure of PII, "as well as to regain the trust of the American public," Thune wants the following questions answered: 1) Was PII lost; if so 2) has the White House notified those affected in a manner consistent with Administration recommendations for breach notification legislation; 3) how is the White House preventing a repeat; and 4) is there a policy in place to insure notification of breaches.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.