California’s governor recently signed SB 41 into law. The bill enacts the Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). The governor rejected a similar bill last year over concerns about COVID-19 public health efforts. To address that concern, this bill exempts tests used to diagnose whether an individual has a specific disease.
Continue Reading California Enacts New Privacy Law for Genetic Data
California recently passed AB 694, which makes a few “technical” changes to the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Importantly, this amendment clarifies the timing for the new California Privacy Protection Agency’s (CPPA) rulemaking authority.
Continue Reading California Bill Clarifies Timing for CPRA Rulemaking Authority
Policymakers, regulators, and litigants are starting to bring privacy into antitrust matters. This is a move beyond the traditional focus on price restraints. Privacy are playing both offensive and defensive purposes, as we wrote recently.*
Continue Reading Privacy Playing Increased Role in Antitrust Enforcement
In the wake of increased ransomware attacks over the course of the last several months, the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has updated a guidance it released last year on potential sanction risks if facilitating ransomware payments. As indicated in the original guidance, OFAC has designated several threat actors as “malicious cyber attackers,” including the developers of Cryptolocker, SamSam, WannaCry, and Dridex. OFAC has indicated that it will impose sanctions on those who financially (or otherwise support) these actors, including by making ransomware payments to them. Sanctions can range from non-public (for example No Action Letters or Cautionary Letters) to public actions (including for example payment of civil monetary penalties).
Continue Reading Do You Have a Risk-Based Sanctions Compliance Program?: In the Event of a Ransomware Attack, OFAC Wants to Know
New York City recently amended its law governing third party delivery services, with the changes going into effect December 27, 2021. The revised law specifically permits restaurants to ask for customers’ personal information from the delivery service. The delivery service, in turn, must tell consumers about the potential sharing “in a conspicuous manner” on its website and give people the ability to opt-out of such sharing. That notice needs to indicate that the person’s information will be shared with the restaurant, and needs to identify the restaurant.
Continue Reading Impact of NYC’s New Delivery Service Data Sharing Requirement
California’s new privacy protection agency recently issued an invitation for public comments as part of its preliminary rulemaking activities for the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Introduced and passed by ballot initiative in November 2020, CPRA amends and introduces several new concepts to CCPA.
Continue Reading California’s New Privacy Agency Seeks Feedback on CPRA
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, recently announced that it fined UnaVista Limited, a UK-based trade repository, €238,500 ($280,000) for eight breaches of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). The EMIR includes rules regulating the conduct of trade repositories, and in conjunction with its role as the supervisor of trade repositories under EMIR, ESMA is empowered to file enforcement actions in response to infringements of EMIR by trade repositories.
Continue Reading European Securities Watchdog Fine Highlights Importance of Data Integrity and Regulatory Access
The FTC recently settled with a surveillance app operator over allegations that the company facilitated the secret harvesting of personal information. According to the FTC, the main users of Support King, LLC’s “SpyFone” app were bad actors who used the tool to remotely monitor users’ physical and digital activities. The FTC dismissed the company’s argument that the users were employers and parents as a “pretext.” It felt neither group would want to use the product, which to install required minimizing the device’s security settings and potentially voiding the device warranty.
Continue Reading FTC Surveillance App Settlement Signals Concern Over Deceptive Tracking
The New York Department of Financial Service recently clarified security incident notification requirements and the use of multi-factor authentication. On its FAQ page, the NYDFS added two new questions and answers for financial services companies subject to 23 NYCRR Part 500.
Continue Reading NYDFS FAQ Provides Clarity on Breach Notification and Security Requirements
The use of apps, wearables, and other devices used to track health and wellness data have continued to rise. The FTC again signaled its focus on this growing industry in a statement on the scope of the Health Breach Notification Rule. In the statement, the FTC called out specific types of apps and trackers that it views as having notification obligations under this rule.
Continue Reading FTC Warns Digital Health Industry to Comply with its Breach Notification Rule
Baltimore recently prohibited several uses of “face surveillance” technology. Under the new law companies cannot use systems that identify or verify individuals based on their face. The law also prohibits saving information gathered from these systems. Getting an individual’s consent is not a way around the prohibition. Nor is promising not to connect information gathered with other personal information.
Continue Reading Baltimore Blows By Brother Burghs with Big Biometrics Ban