Recent Articles

European Commission Proposes Reform to Data Protection Rules

March 16, 2012 22:20

Posted by Erica Gann KitaevEarlier this year, the European Commission proposed a comprehensive reform to the EU's 1995 data protection rules, with the stated purposes of strengthening online privacy rights and boosting Europe's “digital economy.” Still rooted in the European concept...

HHS Settles HIPAA Violations Related to a Breach for $1.5M

March 15, 2012 13:30

Posted by Theodore J. Kobus IIIBlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) was the victim of a theft in 2009 when an intruder stole 57 hard drives which contained protected health information (PHI) of more than 1 million customers.  The information on the hard drives included names, Social...

California Attorney General Settlement on App Privacy Practices

March 15, 2012 13:14

Posted by Brian KarpThe Attorney General of California (“AG”) released a Joint Statement of Principles ("Joint Statement") among itself and Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Google Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Research In Motion Limited and other companies (collectively the...

SEC and CFTC Propose Identity Theft Prevention Rules

Craig Hoffman
March 14, 2012 21:14

Posted by Craig HoffmanReflective of an increased interest in data privacy concerns, on February 28, 2012, the Securities and Exchange and Commodity Futures Trading commissions jointly released proposed rules designed to protect investors from identity theft by mandating the creation of programs to...

Hi-Tech & Low-Tech Social Engineering Used for Corporate Bank Account Takeovers

Craig Hoffman
March 13, 2012 20:13

Posted by Craig HoffmanHi-Tech Corporate bank accounts continue to be targeted by criminals who use various forms of malware to gain access to the account and then wire money out of the account.  One variation of these cyberattacks occurs in the form of a virus that captures corporate online...

Key Government and Industry Leaders Discuss Data Privacy at IAPP Summit

March 13, 2012 15:28

Posted by William J. WeberLast week in Washington, DC, officials from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Commerce, major trade associations and key stakeholders from around the world gathered at a global privacy summit convened by the International Association of Privacy...

FTC Report Shows Rise in Identity Theft Complaints

March 06, 2012 13:15

Posted by Michelle L. YoungThe Federal Trade Commission has released the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, its annual report of complaints filed with the FTC and other state organizations. The report tracks consumer complaints by categories such as fraud, identity theft, and other. Fraud...

Republican Alternative Cybersecurity Bill Introduced In Senate

March 01, 2012 18:27

Posted by William J. WeberToday eight Republican Senators – all Ranking Members of various committees – introduced the SECURE IT Act, S. 2151, their alternative cybersecurity bill to the bipartisan Cybersecurity Act, S. 2105, introduced two weeks ago.  In remarks on the...

White House Releases Consumer Online "Privacy Bill of Rights"

February 24, 2012 01:10

Posted by Erica Gann KitaevThe Obama Administration today unveiled a report entitled Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World:  A Framework for Protecting Privacy and Promoting Innovation in the Global Digital Economy.  A central component of the report, which is directed at improving...

The Cybersecurity Act of 2012--What Does It Mean?

February 15, 2012 18:32

Posted by Theodore J. Kobus IIIYesterday, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.), Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-Maine), Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), and Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein, D-Ca....