Epsilon, Sony to show at House hearing

Two companies under fire for major data breaches have agreed to appear at a House Energy and Commerce hearing next month after declining to show when the panel discussed the issue just weeks earlier. 

Sony and Epsilon will each appear at a data security hearing on June 2. According to an aide to Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.), head of the Trade subcommittee, Sony will be represented by Tim Schaaff, president of Sony Network Entertainment International. Epsilon will be represented by General Counsel Jeanette Fitzgerald. 

Ken Johnson, an aide to Bono Mack, said: "While Chairman Bono Mack remains critical of Sony’s initial handling of the data breaches, she also is appreciative that the company has now agreed to testify. The Chairman firmly believes that the lessons learned from both the Sony and Epsilon experiences can be instructive and guide us as we develop comprehensive data protection legislation. We expect to introduce that legislation, which will provide new safeguards for American consumers, in the next few weeks."