FTC’s Brill Testifies on Agency’s Efforts To Protect Consumer Data From Imposter Scams

IRS impersonation scams and identity theft before the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Brill talked about how the agency “collects, manages, and analyzes identity theft complaints in order to target its education efforts and assist criminal law enforcement authorities.” The FTC also “reaches out to businesses by distributing ... guides for data security and developing data security guidance for specific industries,” Brill said. The commission will “soon provide more guidance for businesses as part of its Start with Security initiative,” Brill said, which includes road shows, webinars and updating business guidance on data security. The “FTC develops data security guidance for specific industries,” Brill said, such as specific guidance for mobile app developers. Business guidance materials are also available on specific topics such as peer-to-peer file sharing programs and companies’ obligations to protect consumer and employee information, Brill said. The FTC “recently released guidance about ways to provide data security for Internet of Things devices, which includes tips such as designing products with authentication in mind and protecting the interfaces between devices connected to the Internet,” Brill said. In response to the President’s Executive Order last year on "Improving the Security of Consumer Financial Transactions," the “FTC is developing and implementing a plan to make the recovery process for identity theft victims quicker and less burdensome,” Brill said. The agency will unveil a new IdentityTheft.gov in the coming weeks, she said.