On April 1, 2015, the White House unveiled Executive Order 13694, which authorizes the Treasury Department to sanction entities outside of the United States that engage in “cyber-enabled activities” that are “reasonably likely to result in, or have materially contributed to, a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial […]
Enforcement
Third Circuit Questions FTC’s Data Security Authority
On March 3, 2015, the Third Circuit heard oral argument in FTC v. Wyndham Worldwide Corp., et al. (“Wyndham”) on the issue of whether the FTC has the authority to regulate private companies’ data security under Section 5 of the FTC Act. This appeal arises out of the District Court’s holding that the unfairness prong […]
White House Releases Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights
On February 27, 2015, the Obama Administration released a discussion draft of the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2015 (the “Privacy Act”), holding true to President Barack Obama’s commitment in 2012 to introduce legislation to put the Privacy Act’s principles into law. The Privacy Act is intended to “establish baseline protections for individual […]
A&B Senior Counsel Peter Swire to Debate Consumer Privacy at Privacy Summit
On March 4-6, the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) will host its annual Global Privacy Summit in Washington, D.C. The Summit regularly attracts thousands of academics, officials, and privacy professionals. Those attending the Summit this year especially will not want to miss Alston & Bird Senior Counsel Peter Swire as he discusses and debates […]
President Obama Proposes Strict National Data Breach Notification Law Ahead of State of the Union
On January 12, 2015, during a speech before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), President Barack Obama announced that he would propose legislation to create a national, uniform data breach notification law. The White House later released the full text of the proposed bill. The President highlighted that a national breach notification law would benefit both […]