“Cybersecurity” has emerged as one of top risks facing organizations. Considering the steady stream of massive data breaches affecting millions (sometimes billions), the debilitating effects of ransomware on an organization’s information systems, the intrigue of international threat actors, and the mobilization and collaboration of national law enforcement to thwart these attacks, it’s no wonder. Notions
Data Privacy
The American Privacy Rights Act?
In what is being called the American Privacy Rights Act (Act), some are suggesting this could be the one! For many years, Congress has been unable to come together to craft a national privacy law. There have been several snags, including whether to preempt state privacy laws and whether to provide a private right of…
Enforcing Policy to Keep Vehicle Dashcam On At All Times Does Not Violate NLRA, According to D.C. Circuit
A manager texting one of his drivers who covered the truck’s inward facing camera while stopping for lunch – “you can’t cover the camera it’s against company rules” – is not unlawful under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), according to a recent decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
A practice that has…
CPPA Issues First “Enforcement Advisory” for CCPA – Data Minimization
The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) issued its first enforcement advisory concerning the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). In Enforcement Advisory No. 2024-01, the CPPA tackles a foundational principle – data minimization. Much of the attention surrounding the CCPA seems to focus on website privacy policies, notices at collection, and consumer rights requests. With…
EU Artificial Intelligence Act Passes in European Parliament
On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, Members of European Parliament endorsed the Artificial Intelligence Act (“AI Act”), with 523 votes in favor, 46 against, and 49 abstentions. This is the world’s first comprehensive AI law and likely to have significant influence on the rapid development of AI regulation in other jurisdictions including in the United…
AI Notetakers – Evaluating the Risks Along with the Benefits
The explosion of generative AI has spawned a wide range of personal and professional tools and applications. One noteworthy (no pun intended) example of those tools and applications is notetakers that can capture, transcribe, and organize the content discussed at meetings (virtual or otherwise), enabling participants to more meaningfully participate in the meeting/discussion. They can…
President’s Executive Order Seeks to Protect Certain “Bulk Sensitive Personal Data” from “Countries of Concern”
On February 28, 2024, President Biden issued an Executive Order (EO) seeking to protect the sensitive personal data of Americans from potential exploitation by particular countries. The EO acknowledges that access to Americans’ “bulk sensitive personal data” and United States Government-related data by countries of concern can, among other things:
…fuel the creation and refinement…
Sanction Policies Can Help Drive Cybersecurity and HIPAA Compliance, OCR Says
Many HIPAA covered entities and business associates struggle with developing and implementing a sanctions policy. What should it say, is zero-tolerance required, do we have to impose discipline in every case, etc. These are examples of frequent and thorny questions that arise in connection with the development and implementation of these policies. But they are…
Transatlantic Transfers of Personal Data: Transferring a Privacy Shield Certification to the New EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework
Effective July 10, 2023, the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (“EU-U.S. DPF”) replaced the invalidated EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework (“Privacy Shield”). Participating U.S. organizations can now receive personal data transferred from the European Economic Area in compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation and without being subject to further conditions.
Similar to the Privacy…
OCR Official Speaks About Compliance Concerns for HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates
What do ransomware, Yelp, and website tracking technologies all have in common? They are troubling areas of concern for HIPAA covered entities and business associates, according to one official from the federal Office for Civil Rights (OCR) which enforces the HIPAA privacy and security rules. Recently, the Executive Editor of Information Security Media Group’s (ISMG’s)…