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UK Government Publishes UK Approach to International Transfers, Including Data Adequacy

On August 26, 2021, the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published its mission statement setting out the UK approach to adequacy assessments and international data transfers, alongside a Manual Template and Manual Guidance for undertaking adequacy assessments and an infographic map illustrating ten priority countries forming part of that process. This release forms part of a broader package of measures announced by DCMS to “seize the opportunities of data to boost growth, trade and improve its public services” following the UK’s exit from the EU, which included an announcement that John Edwards (the current New Zealand Privacy Commissioner) is the Government’s preferred nominee to be the next UK Information Commissioner. (more…)

SEC Continues Focus on Cybersecurity Disclosure Failures, Announces Settled Charges Against Pearson plc

Through its announcement of settled charges against Pearson plc (Pearson) on August 16, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission signaled its continued, high level scrutiny of companies’ public statements related to data security incidents.1 Without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, Pearson agreed to a cease and desist order (Order) and to pay a $1 million penalty.2 The SEC’s Pearson Order follows its June 2021 announcement that it had settled charges against First American Title Insurance Company (First American) for cybersecurity disclosure control failures.3 Together, the Pearson and First American actions underscore the SEC’s increasingly vigorous enforcement efforts on disclosure control violations related to cybersecurity issues, in particular vulnerabilities that expose sensitive customer information and data breaches. (more…)

UK ICO Opens Consultation on Data Transfer Agreements and Guidance

On 11 August 2021, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) launched a public consultation on its draft international data transfer agreement and guidance (Consultation). The Consultation comes two months after the European Commission’s adoption of new EU Standard Contractual Clauses (EU SCCs) and the European Data Protection Board’s publication of the final Schrems II guidance. The EU SCCs do not automatically apply in the UK since its exit from the EU. Moreover, the ICO has not yet formally acknowledged the EU SCCs, i.e., as a valid data transfer mechanism under the UK GDPR.

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FFIEC Guidance on Authentication and Access to Financial Institution Services and Systems

On August 11, 2021, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC)1 issued guidance establishing risk management principles and practices to support the authentication of users accessing a financial institution’s information systems and customers accessing a financial institution’s digital banking services (the Guidance). The Guidance is not intended to serve as a comprehensive framework but rather provides financial institutions with examples of effective risk management practices without endorsing any specific information security framework or standard.

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Upcoming TPI Panel: What Have We Learned About Privacy from the Pandemic, and What Does it Mean Going Forward?

Please join us for a panel discussion titled, “What Have We Learned About Privacy from the Pandemic, and What Does it Mean Going Forward?” at the Technology Policy Institute (TPI) 2021 Aspen Forum on Monday, August 16. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on data privacy, the panel will discuss privacy legislation, the Biden Administration and Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Schrems, and disruptive technologies.

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Connecticut Strengthens Data Breach Notification Requirements and the Uniform Law Commission Approves and Recommends Comprehensive and Uniform State Privacy Legislation

In recent weeks, Connecticut passed An Act Concerning Data Privacy Breaches (“The Act”), and the Uniform Law Commission approved and recommended the Uniform Personal Data Protection Act (“UPDPA”).  With the growing patchwork of state data privacy laws continuing to pose challenges for compliance—and the potential for federal data privacy legislation at the forefront of policy debates—the UPDPA may provide state legislators with a path toward a standardized statutory scheme.

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West Coast, East Coast, and Now Mountains, Too: Colorado Joins the Comprehensive State Privacy Law Club

With the U.S. Congress continuing to stymie federal omnibus privacy legislation, states have decidedly taken up the call. Most recently, on July 8, 2021, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law Senate Bill 21-190, the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA). With the signing of the CPA, which will largely go into effect on July 1, 2023, Colorado became the third state to enact comprehensive privacy legislation following the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) and the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA). Other states have taken a more limited approach, most notably Nevada, which increased the scope of the right to opt out of personal data sales under its targeted privacy law.

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Enhanced Focus on Digital Asset Intermediaries by SEC, Congress, and State Securities Regulators

Given the substantial growth in digital asset investments this year, intermediaries offering trading and lending services are now the target of regulatory and enforcement focus that we expect will continue in the coming months and years. Recent examples of this increased scrutiny of digital asset service providers and intermediaries include

  • Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler’s keynote for the American Bar Association Derivatives and Futures Committee, which touched on the regulation of cryptocurrencies, including statements that decentralized finance (DeFi) are implicated by securities laws
  • the letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to Chair Gensler requesting further information about the SEC’s authority to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges
  • recent actions by state securities regulators against the financial services platform BlockFi related to a digital asset lending program alleging that these products are unregistered securities offerings
  • the SEC settlement with Coinschedule, which operated a token-offering website and failed to disclose the compensation it received from token issuers in violation of antitouting provisions

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Meet the Team

<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/a/akowuah-kwaku-a">Kwaku A. Akowuah</a>

Kwaku A. Akowuah

Washington, D.C.
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/a/armbrust-sheila-a-g">Sheila A.G. Armbrust</a>

Sheila A.G. Armbrust

San Francisco
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/b/blythe-francesca">Francesca Blythe</a>

Francesca Blythe

London
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/b/brown-colleen-theresa">Colleen Theresa Brown</a>

Colleen Theresa Brown

Washington, D.C.
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/c/casanova-john-m">John M. Casanova</a>

John M. Casanova

London
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/c/cunningham-thomas-d">Thomas D. Cunningham</a>

Thomas D. Cunningham

Chicago
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/f/flanagan-sharon-r">Sharon R. Flanagan</a>

Sharon R. Flanagan

San Francisco, Palo Alto
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/g/gordon-david-a">David A. Gordon</a>

David A. Gordon

Chicago
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/i/ishiara-tomoki">Tomoki Ishiara</a>

Tomoki Ishiara

Tokyo
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/k/keeling-robert-d">Robert D. Keeling</a>

Robert D. Keeling

Washington, D.C.
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/l/lally-amy-p">Amy P. Lally</a>

Amy P. Lally

Century City
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/l/lashway-david-c">David C. Lashway</a>

David C. Lashway

Washington, D.C.
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/l/long-william-rm">William RM Long</a>

William RM Long

London
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/l/loughnane-joan-m">Joan M. Loughnane</a>

Joan M. Loughnane

New York
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/m/malhotra-geeta">Geeta Malhotra</a>

Geeta Malhotra

Chicago
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/n/nash-glenn-g">Glenn G. Nash</a>

Glenn G. Nash

Palo Alto
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/r/ransom-rollin-a">Rollin A. Ransom</a>

Rollin A. Ransom

Los Angeles
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/r/raul-alan-charles">Alan Charles Raul</a>

Alan Charles Raul

Washington, D.C., New York
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/s/seale-jennifer-b">Jennifer B. Seale</a>

Jennifer B. Seale

Washington, D.C.
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/t/tham-yuet-ming">Yuet Ming Tham</a>

Yuet Ming Tham

Singapore, Hong Kong
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/w/wilan-jonathan-m">Jonathan M. Wilan</a>

Jonathan M. Wilan

Washington, D.C.
<a target=‘_blank’ href="https://www.sidley.com/en/people/w/woods-jr-john-w">John W. Woods Jr.</a>

John W. Woods Jr.

Washington, D.C.

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