Tag Archives: Obama

President Obama Nominates Ohlhausen to be FTC Commissioner

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

As reported in BNA’s Privacy Law Watch, on July 19, 2011, President Obama announced his intention to nominate Maureen K. Ohlhausen to the Federal Trade Commission. Obama sent his official nomination to the Senate on July 21, 2011. If approved, Ohlhausen will serve a seven-year term beginning on September 26, 2011, replacing Commissioner William E. Kovacic.

Tags: American Bar Association, Consumer Protection, Cybersecurity, Federal Trade Commission, Obama, Senate

House Subcommittees Convene Hearing to Launch Review of Internet Privacy

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On July 14, 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee convened a joint hearing of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade (chaired by Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA)), and the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR)), to launch a comprehensive review of Internet privacy. The series of hearings began with testimony from officials representing three agencies with jurisdiction over consumer privacy issues: FTC Commissioner Edith Ramirez, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, and Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Lawrence Strickling. Continue reading…

Tags: Congress, Consumer Protection, Do Not Track, Edith Ramirez, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, HIPAA, Lawrence Strickling, Legislation, Obama

Department of Commerce Releases Cybersecurity Report

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On June 8, 2011, the Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force released a report entitled “Cybersecurity, Innovation and the Internet Economy.” The report contains four broad policy recommendations: (1) the creation of a nationally recognized approach to minimize vulnerabilities for the Internet and networking services industry, (2) the development of incentives to combat cybersecurity threats, (3) increased cybersecurity education and research, and (4) the promotion of international cooperation to enable sharing of cybersecurity best practices. Continue reading…

Tags: Cybersecurity, Department of Commerce, Federal Trade Commission, Obama

White House Proposes Cybersecurity Legislation

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

As we reported last week, on May 12, 2011, the Obama administration announced a comprehensive cybersecurity legislative proposal in a letter to Congress. The proposal, which is the culmination of two years of work by an interagency team made up of representatives from multiple departments and agencies, aims to improve the nation’s cybersecurity and protect critical infrastructure. If enacted, this legislation will affect many government and private-sector owners and operators of cyber systems, including all critical infrastructure, such as energy, financial systems, manufacturing, communications and transportation. In addition, the proposal includes a wide-reaching data breach notification law that is intended generally to preempt the existing state breach laws in 46 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Tags: Congress, Cybersecurity, Department of Homeland Security, Legislation, Obama, Personally Identifiable Information

White House Releases Cybersecurity Legislative Proposal

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On May 12, 2011, the White House released the long-expected cybersecurity legislative proposal in response to the need to protect Americans from cyber threats. The proposal is the culmination of several years of work following the White House’s release of the Cyberspace Policy Review in 2009 and includes the following sections:

Tags: Cybersecurity, Legislation, Obama

Department of Commerce Official Asks Congress to Enact “Privacy Bill of Rights”

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On March 16, 2011, U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Lawrence Strickling called on Congress to enact robust, baseline legislation to “reform consumer data privacy in the Internet economy.” Speaking before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Assistant Secretary Strickling emphasized the Department of Commerce’s support for a legislative proposal that would adopt many of the recommendations of the “Green Paper,” a Department report authored last December. Continue reading…

Tags: Congress, Consumer Protection, Department of Commerce, Fair Information Practice Principles, Federal Trade Commission, Lawrence Strickling, Legislation, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Obama, Privacy Policy

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Release Health IT Report

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

While much of the attention of the privacy policy community in Washington, D.C. has been focused on the two reports issued in December 2010 by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce, a third government report has received far less press attention, but may have a greater impact on U.S. business and consumers. The work of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (“PCAST”) and its Health Information Technology Working Group, the report, “Realizing the Full Potential of Health Information Technology to Improve Healthcare for Americans: The Path Forward,” was released by the White House on December 8, 2010.

Tags: Accountability, HIPAA, Obama

President Obama Signs Red Flag Program Clarification Act

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On December 18, 2010, President Obama signed into law the “Red Flag Program Clarification Act of 2010” (S.3987), which amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act with respect to the applicability of identity theft guidelines to creditors. The law limits the scope of the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Red Flags Rule (“Red Flags Rule”), which requires “creditors” and “financial institutions” that have “covered accounts” to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs to help identify, detect and respond to patterns, practices or specific activities that indicate possible identity theft.

Tags: Congress, Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, Legislation, Obama, Red Flags Rule, Social Security Number

Update: Department of Commerce’s “Privacy Bill of Rights”

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Hunton & Williams LLP

As previously reported, on December 16, 2010, the U.S. Department of Commerce released its Green Paper “aimed at promoting consumer privacy online while ensuring the Internet remains a platform that spurs innovation, job creation, and economic growth.”

During a press teleconference earlier that morning announcing the release of the Green Paper, Secretary Gary Locke commented on the Green Paper’s recommendation of adopting a baseline commercial data privacy framework, or a “privacy bill of rights,” built on an expanded, revitalized set of Fair Information Practice Principles (“FIPPs”). He indicated that baseline FIPPs would respond to consumer concerns and help increase consumer trust. The Secretary emphasized that the Department of Commerce would look to stakeholders to help flesh out appropriate frameworks for specific industry sectors and various types of data processing. He also noted that the agency is soliciting comments on how best to give the framework the “teeth” necessary to make it effective. The Secretary added that the Department of Commerce is also open to public comment regarding whether the framework should be enforced through legislation or simply by conferring power on the Federal Trade Commission. Continue reading…

Tags: Accountability, APEC, Cameron Kerry, Consumer Protection, Danny Weitzner, Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, Fair Information Practice Principles, Federal Trade Commission, Lawrence Strickling, National Science and Technology Council, Obama, OECD, Peter Hustinx

Department of Commerce Issues Landmark Privacy Green Paper

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On December 16, 2010, the U.S. Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force issued its “Green Paper” on privacy, entitled “Commercial Data Privacy and Innovation in the Internet Economy: A Dynamic Policy Framework.” The Green Paper outlines Commerce’s privacy recommendations and proposed initiatives, which contemplate the establishment of enforceable codes of conduct, collaboration among privacy stakeholders, and the creation of a Privacy Policy Office in the Department of Commerce. Noting that “privacy protections are crucial to maintaining the consumer trust that nurtures the Internet’s growth,” the Green Paper “recommends reinvigorating the commitment to providing consumers with effective transparency into data practices, and outlines a process for translating transparency into consumer choices through a voluntary, multistakeholder process.” Continue reading…

Tags: Accountability, Cameron Kerry, Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, Fair Information Practice Principles, Federal Trade Commission, Lawrence Strickling, National Science and Technology Council, Obama

Privacy and Information Security Law Blog - Global privacy and information security law updates and analysis

Tag Archives: Obama

President Obama Nominates Ohlhausen to be FTC Commissioner

House Subcommittees Convene Hearing to Launch Review of Internet Privacy

Department of Commerce Releases Cybersecurity Report

White House Proposes Cybersecurity Legislation

White House Releases Cybersecurity Legislative Proposal

Department of Commerce Official Asks Congress to Enact “Privacy Bill of Rights”

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Release Health IT Report

Update: Department of Commerce’s “Privacy Bill of Rights”

Department of Commerce Issues Landmark Privacy Green Paper

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