On March 8, 2018, the Ninth Circuit issued its highly anticipated decision in In re Zappos.com, Inc., finding that allegations of future risk of identity theft from a data breach are sufficient to confer standing. This decision fuels an ongoing circuit split, pitting the D.C., Sixth, Seventh and now Ninth Circuits against the Second, Fourth, and Eighth Circuits over whether the mere exposure of personal information – without actual identity theft or credit/debit card fraud – establishes Article III standing.

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.

On June 18, 2015, Canada’s Senate and House of Commons passed the Digital Privacy Act to amend the country’s federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Many of the amendments are scheduled to come into force on a date to be determined by the government. The revised requirements (highlighted below) will have a significant impact on the treatment of personal information by organizations that are subject to PIPEDA. These are organizations that either are federally regulated and fall under the legislative authority of the Parliament of Canada, or operate within a province that does not have in place data protection legislation that has been determined to be substantially similar to PIPEDA (all Canadian provinces other than Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec).

Three amendments are noteworthy for businesses subject to PIPEDA.