The Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Trade Commission have sent a joint letter to approximately 130 hospital systems and telehealth providers to emphasize the risks and concerns about the use of technologies, such as the Meta/Facebook pixel and Google Analytics, that can track a user’s online activities. We have summarized each
Reminder: The FTC “Safeguards Rule” Compliance Date is Next Month
The Federal Trade Commission updated its “Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information” (“Safeguards Rule”) and extended the compliance deadline to June 9, 2023. Some entities still may be wondering – “Do these regulations apply to my business?” and “What do I have to do?”
Back in 2021, we provided a high-level summary of the Safeguards Rule
Websites: A Growing Compliance Concern – CCPA, HIPAA, Accessibility, State Laws…(Updated)
Websites play a vital role for organizations. They facilitate communication with consumers, constituents, patients, employees, donors, and the general public. They project an organization’s image and promote goodwill, provide information about products and services and allow for their purchase. Websites also inform investors about performance, enable job seekers to view and apply for open positions,
FTC Focuses on Pixel Tracking, and Not Just at Healthcare Companies
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
FTC Blog: “The FTC Act creates a de facto breach disclosure requirement”
On May 20, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission’s Team CTO and the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection published a blog post entitled, “Security Beyond Prevention: The Importance of Effective Breach Disclosures.” In the post, the FTC takes the position that in some cases there may be a de facto data breach notification
FTC Settles Privacy and Security Allegations with Online Merchant for $500K and Agreement to Extensive Compliance Program
The FTC recently settled its enforcement action involving data privacy and security allegations against an online seller of customized merchandise. In addition to agreeing to pay $500,000, the online merchant consented to multiyear compliance, recordkeeping, and FTC reporting requirements. The essence of the FTC’s seven count Complaint is that the merchant failed to properly disclose
FTC Issues Final Rule Amending the Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information
On October 27, 2021 the FTC issued a final rule (the “Final Rule”) amending 16 CFR Part 134, Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information (“Safeguards Rule”), after a period of notice and comment. While the existing Safeguards Rule imposes a general obligation on financial institutions to maintain an information security program, the Final Rule outlines these
The Case that Sparked the CCPA Gets an FTC Final Order
Recently, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission issued an important opinion, concluding that Cambridge Analytica, LLC, the data analytics and consulting company, engaged in “deceptive practices to harvest personal information” of tens of millions social media users, by way of using their data from a company developed app, GSRapp, for voter profiling purposes without the
FCC Rules Online Faxes Are TCPA Exempt
The Telephone Consumer Protect Act (“TCPA”) has seen lots of action in 2019, and in the final days of the year the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) issued a significant ruling concluding that “online fax services” i.e. e-faxes are outside the scope of the TCPA. The FCC’s ruling effectively prevents the common “junk fax” class action
Professional Tax Preparers – You Need A Written Information Security Plan, Says the IRS and FTC
Tax season soon will soon be upon us and many not-so-eager taxpayers will share sensitive personal information about themselves, their dependents, their employees, and others with their trusted professional tax preparers for processing. What many of these preparers might not realize is that federal law and a growing number of state laws obligate them to