Tag: data privacy

September 28, 2018

How One Simple Meeting Presages the Future of Federal Prosecution

For many years, it has been the federal government, with its multitude of prosecutorial and regulatory arms, that has been able to throw its policing weight around, causing business owners to snap to attention with a crisp salute.  But as the traditional business model has morphed into clouds of technology-driven, international and multinational enterprises, this… Read More

April 22, 2017

The FTC’s Role in Privacy

Acting Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, Maureen Ohlhausen, answered questions about the FTC’s current role in data privacy before a crowded audience at the April 2017 IAPP Global Privacy Summit in D.C.  Below are some take-aways we wanted to share from Commissioner Ohlhausen’s talk: Even if out of ISP oversight, the FTC is actively… Read More

April 20, 2016

Judge Flunks Case Against LabMD, FTC Appeals

In March 2015, I wrote about the ongoing dispute between the FTC and LabMD, an Atlanta-based cancer screening laboratory, and looked at whether the FTC has the authority to take enforcement action over data-security practices alleged to be insufficient and therefore “unfair” under section 5(n) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTCA”). On November 13,… Read More

July 9, 2015

State Attorneys General Tell Congress: “Back-Off Our Data Breach Authority”

  Every week, we learn about new data breaches affecting consumers across the country. Federal government workers and retirees recently received the unsettling news that a breach compromised their personal information, including social security numbers, job history, pay, race, and benefits. Amid a host of other public relations issues, the Trump organization recently discovered a potential… Read More

May 26, 2015

Keeping Your Privacy Promises: Retail Tracking and Opt-Out Choices

  As children, many of us were taught how important it is to “keep your word.” Similarly, it is black letter privacy law that if a company commits (for instance, in a privacy policy or in website statements) to certain actions or practices, such as maintaining certain security features or implementing consumers’ choices on opt-outs,… Read More

March 2, 2015

The Federal Wiretap Act and the Law of Unintended Consequences

  The law of unintended consequences – a distant cousin of Murphy’s Law – states that the actions of human beings will always have effects that are unanticipated and unintended. The law could prove a perfect fit for recent efforts by class action counsel to rely upon the Federal Wiretap Act in lawsuits arising from… Read More

January 20, 2015

The World Wide Tax Web: FATCA Data Sharing Goes Online

The IRS has unveiled a secure web application, the International Data Exchange Service (IDES), for cross-border data sharing. IDES will allow Foreign Financial Institutions (FFIs) and tax authorities from other countries to transmit financial data on U.S. taxpayers’ accounts, via an encrypted pathway, to the IRS. The tool is part of the IRS’s effort to… Read More

September 4, 2014

Federal Trade Commission Checks Out Mobile Shopping Apps

  In August, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) released a staff report concerning mobile shopping applications (“apps”).  FTC staff reviewed some of the most popular apps consumers utilize to comparison shop, collect and redeem deals and discounts, and pay in-store with their mobile devices.  This new report focused on shopping apps offering price comparison, special… Read More