Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

New York – The retail industry may be facing a major threat by hackers targeting sensitive consumer data held by numerous chains. According to Bloomberg, a report from security company iSight Partners says multiple groups of hackers have been targeting retailers since June 2013 using a piece of software known as Kaptoxa.

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) has asked an appeals court to uphold a judge’s ruling that the Federal Reserve set its cap on debit card swipe fees far higher than intended by Congress and that the cap needs to be recalculated at a lower level.

New York -- Neiman Marcus Group on Thursday posted a statement on its website in which it said that, to its knowledge, customers' Social Security numbers and birthdates were not stolen during its holiday security breach. Last week, the retailer revealed that some of customers' payment information had been stolen and that the thieves had made unauthorized charges.

The malicious attack on Target which resulted in a massive data breach has spawned a “we’re all in this together” attitude among the nation’s retailers with the National Retail Federation spearheading the charge for common sense consumer protection measures.

Foremost among them is usage of the more secure Chip and PIN technology in credit and debit cards that offers better encryption of data than the magnetic stripe cards that are prevalent in the U.S.

Minneapolis – Target Corp. will reportedly testify about its recent massive holiday data breach in a Congressional hearing in early February 2014. According to Reuters, a Congressional commerce, manufacturing and trade subcommittee headed by Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) will investigate large data breaches and their effect on consumers.

Seattle – Technicians working at an Amazon.com fulfillment center in Middletown, Del., have reportedly rejected a bid to unionize from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). According to Reuters, a group of 27 maintenance and repair technicians voted against joining the IAM, 21-6.

Walmart’s reputation took another hit this week when major media outlets pounced on a complaint filed by the National Labor Relations Board claiming the retailer illegally retaliated against workers who participated in protests at stores.

New York -- The U.S. National Labor Relations Board has filed a formal complaint charging that Wal-Mart Stores violated labor laws in 14 states by taking action against striking and protesting workers.

The NLRB said the retailer illegally fired, disciplined or threatened more than 60 employees in 14 states for participating in legally protected activities to complain about wages and working conditions.

Washington, D.C. -- Two U.S. senators have written to Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel seeking "detailed information'' on the data breach that occurred during the holiday shopping season, Reuters reported.

"We ask that Target's information-security officials provide a briefing to committee staff regarding your company's investigation and latest findings,'' John Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Claire McCaskill, chair of the Commerce ubcommittee on consumer protection, wrote to Steinhafel.

Environmental Defense Fund has hired Diane Munns as senior director, smart power collaboration.

Munns joins EDF from MidAmerican Energy Company where she served as VP of regulatory relations and energy efficiency since 2008. She represented the company at national and regional regulatory forums and was responsible for direct management of the energy efficiency group, including strategy, personnel, budget and compliance.