Senate chairman wants hearing on Uber breach

Uber may soon have to testify to Congress about a massive data breach that compromised the information of 57 million people. 

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), head of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, told reporters on Monday that his panel wants to grill the ride-hailing firm over the cyberbreach. 

“We expect to have a hearing on that in the not-too-distant future,” Thune told reporters.

Earlier Monday, Thune and other lawmakers sent a letter to Uber’s new CEO demanding more information about the hack, which took place last year. The company reportedly paid hackers $100,000 to cover up the breach.

Lawmakers say the breach opens new security concerns despite Uber’s claims that sensitive information, such as riders’ trip history and Social Security numbers, was not stolen.

The firm is already being investigated by multiple states on the matter and may also face an investigation from the Federal Trade Commission, which says it is “closely evaluating the serious issues raised” by the breach.

It’s just the latest in a string of controversies for Uber, which has been battling allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace, revelations it used software to evade regulators and a lawsuit from Google claiming Uber stole trade secrets.

But up until this point, lawmakers have been generally reluctant to crack down on the start-up company or haul in its executives to testify.