This year’s IAPP Global Privacy Summit was very informative on a number of fronts, including the helpful insight provided by officials at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on a range of topics. A good summary of some of their comments can be found here, which includes concerns they expressed about the Consumer Privacy Bill
FTC Announces “Concrete Steps” for IoT Privacy and Security
As the vast array of internet-connected devices mushrooms, and technologies permit those devices to communicate with one another, calls for privacy and security can be heard. On the heels of a recent victory in the ongoing LabMD case, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced yesterday “concrete steps” businesses can take to enhance the privacy
FTC’s Hammer Gets Bigger with LabMD Case
The on-going fight to hammer out the extent of the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to bring regulatory enforcement actions in data breach cases took another blow last week in LabMD v. FTC. In that case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit sided with the FTC holding companies that find themselves subject
FTC Amends Guidance to Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rules, Clarifying “Verifiable Parental Consent” Requirements
In response to reported on-going confusion regarding how to satisfy the “verifiable parental consent” requirements in Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) 15 U.S.C. §6501 et. seq. (1998), and its implementing regulations, 12 CFR Part 312 (2000), the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) revised its guidance on enforcement of the same. According to the
FTC Objects to Sale of Company Assets Based on Potential Breach of Privacy Policy
Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) filed a limited objection in bankruptcy court to the proposed sale of assets of ConnectEdu, Inc. (“ConnectEdu”) on the grounds that the company’s privacy policy protecting customer personal information had potentially not been complied with.
Specifically, ConnectEdu, an education technology company that provided interactive tools to assist students, parents
EEOC & FTC Issue Joint Background Check Guidance
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued joint informal 
guidance concerning the legal pitfalls employers may face when consulting background checks into a worker’s criminal record, financial history, medical history or use of social media. The FTC enforces the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the law that protects the
FTC Announces Identity Theft Was Top Consumer Complaint During 2013, 14 Years Running
According to an FTC press release, identity theft tops the national ranking of consumer complaints for 2013, with American consumers losing a reported $1.6 billion to fraud last year. Here is how some of the numbers break down:
- Fourteen (14) percent of the more than two million complaints to the FTC (or 290,056) stemmed
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Urges the Passage of a National Data Breach Notification Law
After years of identity theft holding the top spot for crimes reported to the Federal Trade Commission, and following recent reports of massive data breaches, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder urged Congress today to enact a national law setting a uniform standard for notifying individuals regarding breaches involving their personal information, according to a report
The Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act
Two Senators who clearly did not let the potential government work stoppage affect them, formally introduced the Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2011 on April 12. In a bipartisan effort, Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Arizona) introduced the legislation which sets forth privacy rules governing businesses that collect, use, or share
Whitepaper On Social Media Use By Employees
Whether it be Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube or the company blog, employee presence in social media is way, way up, creating risks for employers that are proving difficult to manage without careful planning and appropriate policies.
These risks can take many forms – FTC endorsement issues, inadvertent sharing of confidential company or personal