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Joseph J. Lazzarotti is a principal in the Tampa, Florida, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He founded and currently co-leads the firm's Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity practice group, edits the firm’s Privacy Blog, and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) with the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Trained as an employee benefits lawyer, focused on compliance, Joe also is a member of the firm’s Employee Benefits practice group.

In short, his practice focuses on the matrix of laws governing the privacy, security, and management of data, as well as the impact and regulation of social media. He also counsels companies on compliance, fiduciary, taxation, and administrative matters with respect to employee benefit plans.

Last week, a New York Times’ article discussed ChatGPT and AI’s “democratization of disinformation,” along with their potentially disruptive effects on upcoming political contests. Asking a chatbot powered by generative AI to produce a fundraising email is not the main concern, according to the article. Leveraging that technology to create and disseminate disinformation and deepfakes

On March 28, 2023, Iowa’s Governor signed Iowa’s new statute relating to consumer data protection. Iowa joins CaliforniaColoradoConnecticutUtah, and Virginia in the ever-growing patchwork of consumer privacy laws across the country.

The new law takes effect on January 1, 2025.

Iowa’s consumer privacy law covers businesses

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently took enforcement action against digital healthcare companies for sharing user information vie third-party tracking pixels, which enable the collection of user data. At the start of the year, the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights issued its own bulletin with guidance regarding tracking pixel technology for

On March 7, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the federal government agency charged with protecting consumers in the financial sector, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal government agency tasked with protecting private sector employees’ rights to engage in union organizing and other concerted activity, announced an information sharing agreement in

On March 15, 2023, the Iowa legislature unanimously passed Senate File 262, the Consumer Privacy Act, which relates to consumer data and privacy protection. Once signed by Iowa’s governor, the statute will become operative on January 1, 2025, and  Iowa will join California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia in passing

While the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) only recently approved revised amended regulations pertaining to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), it is already on to its next rulemaking.

On February 10, 2023, the CPPA issued an invitation for preliminary comments on proposed rulemaking pertaining to cybersecurity audits

While programs such as Artificial Intelligence bots that can write poetry or develop art are capturing people’s interest, administrative agencies across the country are concerned about how similar technology including algorithms and automated decision making may affect employees and consumers alike. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to the New York City Department of Consumer

This post deals with another data breach, yes, hackers were able to compromise the organization’s systems and exfiltrate personal information relating to over 45,000 Pennsylvania and Ohio residents. However, there are several important takeaways from this case, including cybersecurity in corporate transactions, data retention and destruction, and incident response planning.

According to the Assurance of

After a significant delay, on February 3, 2023, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) unanimously approved amended regulations. The new regulations have not yet gone into effect as they must first be approved by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL). The CPPA’s General Counsel advised that there is no guarantee that the regulations would be

On the eve of Data Privacy Day, the California Attorney General announced a new investigative focus for compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) on mobile applications, specifically popular apps in the retail, travel, and food service industries. The Attorney General sent letters to businesses with mobile applications that have allegedly failed to