Ninth hearing on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st century highlights challenges of addressing persistent threats to data security.

On December 11 and 12, the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC or the Commission) held its ninth installment in its series of 10 hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century. This hearing featured panels focusing on issues such as emerging data security threats, trends in data breaches, the US approach to data security, and how companies are incentivized to invest in data security. Speakers at these panels included government officials (including FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and representatives from the FTC’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection), academics, and specialists from the private sector. Speakers discussed how companies currently protect consumers from data security incidents and what role the FTC can play in encouraging companies to adopt best practices for securing personal information.