Deb Fischer: “As we begin a new year, the Senate returns with many significant challenges before us. One such challenge is the…”

“As we begin a new year, the Senate returns with many significant challenges before us. One such challenge is the security of our citizens' private information. Just before Christmas, news broke out that Target, a popular retail store in Nebraska and all across this Nation, had experienced an enormous data breach involving nearly 40 million debit and credit account numbers. That is nearly 1 in 10 Americans who had their sensitive personal information put in jeopardy. Between November 27 and December 15, scammers silently stole massive amounts of consumer information from Target. The timing of this breach is significant, not only because it happened during the peak of the holiday shopping season, but also because this data is reportedly being sold on black markets around the world. On December 20, Target announced: ``The information involved in this incident included customer name, credit or debit card number, and the card's expiration date and CVV.'' It was further determined on December 27 that encrypted PIN information, or encrypted personal identification numbers, associated with that data was also stolen. This wasn't only an attack on Target, which has 14 stores in my home State of Nebraska, it was a crime against millions of hardworking citizens. Let me be clear. It is also much more than just a mere inconvenience for consumers.…”