WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Co-chair of the Congressional Privacy Caucus, released the following statement on the massive data breach at the University of California, Los Angeles, which may have compromised the personal information of over 800,000 UCLA students, staff, alumni, and faculty:

"The theft of personal information from a UCLA computer system is the latest reminder of the urgent need for strong federal legislation to protect consumers' Social Security Numbers and other personal information that may have been pilfered by data thieves.  Almost two years after the data thefts at ChoicePoint, it is unacceptable that Congress adjourned last week without taking the necessary action to thwart data pick-pockets.  While not every individual whose private information is stolen will become a victim of identity theft or fraud, all affected consumers are put in a precarious and worrisome position, wondering if at some point their information will wind up in the hands of a criminal intent on running up huge credit card bills, securing a mortgage or committing other crimes that could take years for the affected consumer to unravel.

“When the new Congress convenes next year, I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass robust data security and Social Security Number privacy legislation that helps prevent the type of data heists that have victimized millions of Americans, and beefs up the tools for law enforcement to go after the criminals that seek to profit from pilfering the public's private information."