FTC Issues Civil Penalty Notice to 700 Companies Regarding Endorsements and Reviews
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on October 13 published a Notice of Penalty Offenses advising more than 700 companies that they could incur significant civil penalties if they use endorsements in ways that run counter to the FTC’s guidance. The FTC, in its own words, “blanket[ed] industry” with these … Read More
Changes to FTC Rulemaking Procedures Herald More Aggressive Action on Consumer Privacy
On July 22, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission finalized important changes to its procedures for rulemaking under Section 18 of the FTC Act. Section 18 authorizes the Commission to make regulations, termed “Trade Regulation Rules,” (or “Magnuson-Moss Rules” after their authorizing statute), which “define with specificity” conduct that violates the … Read More
Federal Trade Commission Hosts Panels Related to Consumer Privacy and Data Security at PrivacyCon
This summer, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) hosted its sixth annual PrivacyCon, an event focused on the latest research and trends related to consumer privacy and data security. This years’ event was divided into six panels: Algorithms; Privacy Considerations and Understandings; Adtech; Internet of Things; Privacy-Children and Teens; and, … Read More
An Early Recap of Privacy in 2020: A US Perspective
*This article was adapted from “Global Overview,” appearing in The Privacy, Data Protection and Cybersecurity Law Review (7th Ed. 2020)(Editor Alan Charles Raul), published by Law Business Research Ltd., and first published by the International Association of Privacy Professionals Privacy Perspectives series on September 28, 2020.
Privacy, like everything … Read More
COVID-19: Dealing with Vendors – Privacy and Supply Chain Issues
The COVID-19 global pandemic presents unique legal and practical challenges for businesses across all industries, including with respect to ongoing relationships with vendors and suppliers – whether this relates to information security, privacy compliance, business continuity and contractual issues, such as in relation to force majeure.
In this webinar, we … Read More
NIST Releases Version 1.0 of Privacy Framework to Help Organizations Manage Privacy Risks and Improve Protection of Personal Data
With issues around the collection and handling of personal data becoming the focus of increased scrutiny among regulators, policymakers, and consumers, interest has continued to grow among organizations to better understand and address privacy risk. Seeking to support innovation in the market and to accommodate the increasingly global nature of … Read More
Observations from Albania: the 41st Annual International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (October 23-24, 2019)
UK ICO Commissioner Liz Denham, who serves as Conference Chair, welcomed attendees at the public session and provided a brief summary of what transpired at the Commissioners’ closed door sessions. She noted that “privacy” has gone “mainstream.” People around the world expect more information about how their data is … Read More
FTC’s Authority to Obtain Monetary Relief is in Doubt
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has struck a major blow to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforcement authority, holding that the agency cannot seek its preferred remedy of monetary restitution in federal court.
In recent years, the FTC has used Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission … Read More
FTC Announces Record-Setting $5.7M COPPA Penalty
On February 27, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a record-setting $5.7 million civil penalty against makers of the popular free video creation and sharing app, Musical.ly (now known as TikTok), for violations of U.S. children’s privacy rules. This is the largest civil penalty the FTC has issued concerning … Read More
FTC Seeks Comment on Proposed Changes to its GLBA Safeguards and Privacy Rules
Over the last few years, States have enacted increasingly aggressive legislation concerning data privacy and security, raising concerns that companies will be subject to a patchwork of different standards. Congress has recently taken notice, convening hearings on potential federal privacy legislation, with the possibility of preemption a hot topic during … Read More