Posted in Regulatory response
On February 13, 2018, in Forman v. Henkin, 2018 NY Slip Op 01015, New York’s highest state court unanimously ruled that “private” social media posts may be subject to discovery in civil lawsuits.… Continue Reading
Posted in Regulatory response
On January 16, 2018, in Byrne v. Avery, the Connecticut Supreme Court unilaterally created a new state law cause of action for violation of a patient’s health care privacy. (Byrne v. Avery Center for Obstetrics & Gynecology, P.C., 327 Conn. 540, __ A.3d __ (Jan. 16, 2018)). Particularly noteworthy is the new standard for a physician’s level of care: compliance with HIPAA. In other words, violation of HIPAA can lead to a state law claim in Connecticut, but the decision does NOT create a private right of action under HIPAA.… Continue Reading
Posted in Regulatory response
Illegal robocalls are a “scourge.” So says FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, and most consumers likely agree. Both the FCC and the FTC (each of which has jurisdiction over some aspects of telemarketing regulation) are actively pursuing ways to curb illegal and fraudulent robocalls. The FCC issued a report and order in November 2017 authorizing telecommunications providers to block certain types of calls considered “highly likely to be illegitimate.” In late January 2018, the FTC responded with a staff letter expressing support for the FCC’s efforts and offering suggestions for addressing erroneously blocked calls. … Continue Reading
Posted in Regulatory response
February 15, 2018, is quickly approaching and any entity subject to New York’s cybersecurity regulation (23 NYCRR Part 500) must file its first annual certification of compliance with the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) by that date. New York imposes cybersecurity requirements on all entities (covered entities) subject to the jurisdiction of the DFS, which include not only banks and insurers, but also any persons regulated by the DFS, including the newest DFS licensees, those engaged in virtual currency business activity.… Continue Reading
Posted in Regulatory response
Privacy compliance will become even more important for all companies in Australia now that the mandatory data breach notification scheme has been enacted.
From 22 February 2018, certain data breaches (known as “eligible data breaches”) will need to be notified to the Australian Privacy Commissioner and affected individuals. Previously, notification of data breaches was optional.… Continue Reading
Posted in Regulatory response
On 29 December 2017 the Standardization Administration of China issued an Information Security Technology – Personal Information Security Specification（GB/T 35273-2017）(the “Specification”), which will come into effect on 1 May 2018. … Continue Reading
Posted in Regulatory response
This week, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) published a January 2018 newsletter focusing on “cyber extortion.” Cyber extortion often involves an attacker gaining access to an organization’s computer system, stealing sensitive information, and threatening to publish the information. Healthcare and public health organizations are often the targets of these attacks, so affected data frequently includes protected health information, or PHI. The OCR newsletter indicates that incidents of cyber extortion have been steadily increasing over the past several years and will continue to disrupt many organizations.… Continue Reading
Posted in Regulatory response
A new state law places California businesses on the front line in responding to federal immigration enforcement actions. Effective January 1, 2018, AB 450 requires California employers to protect employees and their private information from warrantless “workplace raids” and I-9 form demands, and to warn employees who become targets of an immigration investigation.… Continue Reading
Posted in Regulatory response
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2018 (NDAA),[1] signed into law in December 2017, did not only authorize United States defense spending for the 2018 fiscal year – it also contained a section devoted to unmanned aerial systems.… Continue Reading
Last week, South Dakota moved closer to implementing a data breach notification law, while Colorado legislators introduced a new bill requiring “reasonable security procedures,” imposing data disposal rules and shortening the time frame in which to alert authorities regarding a breach. South Dakota and Colorado are the latest states taking steps in cybersecurity lawmaking in light of Congress’s inaction regarding data breach legislation.… Continue Reading
Posted in Regulatory responseOn January 24, 2018, the governing body for credit and debit cards, known as the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council, announced a new set of security requirements designed to address an increasingly popular way that merchants offer to consumers to pay for purchases: smartphones and tablets. … Continue Reading
Posted in Regulatory response
Turkey continues to further develop its data protection regime. Recent developments include publication of a regulation and a guideline focusing on deletion, destruction and anonymization of personal data. These new pieces of legislation provide guidance on the methods to be used to remove personal data, which was previously processed and is no longer needed. Data controllers are now required to maintain an inventory of processed data and issue a policy on the retention and destruction of such data. Turkey’s efforts mark an important step in the development of a strong personal data protection scheme.
On the 7th August 2017, the UK’s Government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport issued a Statement of Intent (the Statement) outlining its planned reforms of the UK’s data protection laws which are to be implemented by the Data Protection Bill (the Bill). The Statement anticipates the UK’s departure from the EU and makes it clear that following this, the Bill will transpose the General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR) into domestic law, stressing the importance of continued efficiency of data flow between the UK and the EU in a post-Brexit world.… Continue Reading
On August 1, 2017, US Senators unveiled a bipartisan bill to mandate baseline cybersecurity requirements for internet connected devices purchased by the federal government. Recent attacks demonstrate that connected devices, which make up the Internet of Things (“IoT”), can paralyze websites, networks, and even components of critical infrastructure.
The draft bill, introduced by a bipartisan coalition of Senators, proposes implementation of basic security requirements for interconnected devices purchased by the federal government. Under the proposed law, federal suppliers would be required to monitor and patch cybersecurity vulnerabilities.… Continue Reading
On July 11, 2017, the US Coast Guard (USCG) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed new cybersecurity draft guidelines for Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) regulated facilities. The guidelines follow the White House’s May 2017 Executive Order to strengthen the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure. The draft guidelines are open for public comment until September 11, 2017. The guidelines outline a position on addressing cybersecurity that is consistent with the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework and other cybersecurity guidance. Similar to the Executive Order, the draft reflects a growing emphasis on mitigating cyber threats … Continue Reading
A director of a Hong Kong company has been convicted of an offence under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (“PDPO”). This is the first conviction of its type under the PDPO since the law came into effect in 1996, confirming the potential for directors’ liability under the law.… Continue Reading
On 10 July 2017 the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued a draft Regulation on the Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure (CII Regulation) for public comment. The comment period ends on 10 August 2017. This long-anticipated regulation, formulated pursuant to Article 31 of the Cyber Security Law of China (Cyber Security Law), is a key implementing measure for the Cyber Security Law. In this client update we outline the key features of the draft CII Regulation and highlight its implications for businesses.… Continue Reading
This is the first of a two-part series discussing the privacy and security issues associated with the widespread use of automated vehicle technology. This first post focuses on potential privacy issues, while the second post – coming soon – will address security issues.
As the development and testing of self-driving car technology has progressed, the prospect of privately-owned autonomous vehicles operating on public roads is nearing. Several states have passed laws related to autonomous vehicles, including Nevada, California, Florida, Michigan, and Tennessee. Other states have ordered that government agencies support testing and operations of these vehicles. Industry experts predict… Continue Reading
Overview: On 10 July 2017, the Singapore Government unveiled its draft Cybersecurity Bill (the Bill) and announced a public consultation to seek views and comments from the industry and members of public. The public consultation runs from 10 July to 3 August 2017.This Bill comes on the back of various moves by the Singapore Government to strengthen its approach to cybersecurity, starting with the setting up of the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) in April 2015, the launch of Singapore’s Cybersecurity Strategy in October in 2016, and more recently, the amendments to the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act earlier this year … Continue Reading
Broker-dealers and investment advisers in Colorado will soon be required to comply with new rules designed to protect the electronic information they collect and maintain. On May 19, 2017, the Colorado Division of Securities adopted final cybersecurity rules under the Colorado Securities Act. In addition to requiring written procedures that are “reasonably designed to ensure cybersecurity,” the rules also mandate annual risk assessments of firms’ data security practices. The Colorado Attorney General approved the rules on June 7, 2017, and the effective date of the rules is July 15, 2017.… Continue Reading
On May 23, 2017, it was announced that Target Corporation had settled the investigation initiated by the Attorneys General[1] of 47 states and the District of Columbia resulting from its 2013 data security incident. Besides the $18.5 million being paid (the largest State AG data breach settlement amount to date), it is the promised remedial measures that are of most interest to those following data breach enforcement actions.… Continue Reading
We have just received a revised draft of the Measures on Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transfer of Personal Information and Important Data (Measures). Here we outline the changes made to the draft Measures first issued on 11 April 2017 for public comment (see our previous briefing and blog post here). The revised draft is likely to be the final version of the Measures. The Measures are to take effect on the same day as China’s Cyber Security Law (Cyber Security Law) on 1 June 2017.… Continue Reading
A two-month consultation on proposed measures to reduce and mitigate cyber security risks associated with internet trading of securities in Hong Kong (the Consultation) was launched on 8 May 2017 by the Securities and Futures Commission (the SFC).
The Consultation follows a recent review by the SFC of resilience of brokers in Hong Kong to cyber-attacks (such as the hacking of trading accounts, installation of ransomware and denial of service attaches) and is set against a backdrop of the increasing number of cyber security incidents to the financial services sector.
For further information please see this post on our Financial … Continue Reading
On May 11th, 2017, the White House released an executive order on strengthening the cybersecurity of federal networks and critical infrastructure (the “Order”). The Order marks the administration’s first successful effort to address cybersecurity, after an earlier draft executive order on cybersecurity was postponed in January.
The Order is divided into three substantive sections covering the cybersecurity of federal networks, the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, and cybersecurity for the nation.… Continue Reading
