A new bill in the Senate proposes to hold large tech companies, specifically “online service providers”, responsible for the protection of personal information in the same way banks, lawyers and hospitals are held responsible. The Data Care Act of 2018, which was introduced on December 12, 2018, is designed to protect users information online
Vague FTC Order Addressing Data Security Struck Down by Federal Appellate Court
In a significant ruling that calls into question the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) authority to regulate a private company’s data security program, a federal appellate court of appeals ruled that the agency’s cease and desist order directing implementation of a data security program should be vacated as unenforceable. LabMD, Inc. v. Federal Trade Commission,
The FTC Announces a National Cybersecurity Education Campaign for Small Businesses
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it will launch a national education campaign to aid the small business sector in strengthening its cybersecurity and protecting its sensitive and personal data.
The national education campaign builds on the FTC’s 2017 Small Business Initiative which included the creation of a new website: FTC.gov/SmallBusiness aimed at
New FTC Report Makes Security Recommendations to the Mobile Device Industry
Securing data held by mobile devices is largely reliant upon technology, and a recent report by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) takes aim at how that technology can be both improved and better utilized. The report, published in February 2018 and titled, Mobile Security Updates: Understanding the Issues, presents findings based upon information requested
The Dark Web and its Impact on Small Business
Most business owners are all too familiar with identity theft. What they might not be sufficiently aware of is the “Dark Web” where identity theft thieves buy and sell stolen personal information.
The Dark Web Defined
The Dark Web describes places on the internet not identified by traditional search engines. Although not all sites on
Senate Bill Introduced to Protect Personally Identifiable Information
Primarily motivated by several recent massive data breaches, Senate Democrats recently introduced a bill geared toward protecting Americans’ personal information against cyber attacks and to ensure timely notification and protection when data is breached.
The Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2017 provides that companies that collect and hold data on at least 10,000 Americans would
USCIS: Watch Out For I-9 Email Scams
As reported on our Global Immigration Blog, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a notice regarding scam email requests for I-9 information. 
According to USCIS, employers have received scam emails that appear to come from USCIS. These scam emails come from a fraudulent email address (news@uscis.gov) and the body of
Lenovo-FTC Consent Order Calls For 20-Year Monitoring Period
Laptop-maker Lenovo (United States), Inc. agreed to a no-fault settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and 32 states over allegations that it installed ad software that compromised customers’ web security and invaded users’ privacy.
As part of the Consent Order, Lenovo agreed that it would:
- Not misrepresent any feature of installed software related to consumer
Will More States Follow New York’s Lead?
As you know if you regularly read this blog, the New York State DFS finally finalized its “first-in-the-nation” cybersecurity rules with an effective date of March 1, 2017. And their reach is quite large: DFS-supervised entities from insurers and banks to mortgage brokers and credit unions (and their third-party service providers) will have to begin
Maureen K. Ohlhausen Appointed as Acting FTC Chairwoman
On January 13, current FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez announced that she would resign from her position effective February 10, 2017. Ramirez was instrumental in increasing the FTC’s cybersecurity enforcement authority, going after a wide range of data security related private offenders and demonstrating the FTC’s cyber “watchdog” status.
Last Wednesday, January 25, President Trump’s administration