Grimaldi, Layton among lineup

The House Consumer Protection Subcommittee has identified the witnesses who will be testifying at a Feb. 26 hearing on data privacy and security titled "Protecting Consumer Privacy in the Era of Big Data."

Those witnesses are Brandi Collins, senior campaign director, Media, Democracy & Economic Justice, Color of Change; Dave Grimaldi, executive VP for public policy, IAB; Roslyn Layton, PhD, visiting scholar, American Enterprise Institute; Nuala O’Connor, president, Center for Democracy & Technology; and Denise Zheng, VP, technology and innovation, Business Roundtable.

In a YouTube video on the hearing, Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said that while she knew her audience "loved their devices" she was also sure they wondered what the data companies "are beginning to sweep up" about them. She also talked about breaches and "problem after problem" involving Facebook.

She said the hearing was the beginning of a conversation that would end in legislation, adding that self-regulation "just isn't working."