During the hearing, the lawmakers questioned Uber’s chief security officer while also receiving an education from experts on how bug bounty programs are supposed to operate.

Popular drone maker DJI has bungled its bug bounty program — and a very public spat could have repercussions for the growing freelance industry.

The contest continues a trend within the U.S. military that began last year with Hack the Pentagon and Hack the Army.

"It's pushing the bad guys to find other ways," said one researcher.