On January 16, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission announced that settlements with five companies of separate allegations that they had falsely claimed certification under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework had been finalized.
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U.S. Federal Law
Mortgage Broker Settles FTC Privacy Charges That It Improperly Disclosed Consumer Information on Review Site
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As reported on our Hunton Retail Law Resource blog, on January 7, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement with Mortgage Solutions FCS, Inc., and its sole principal, Ramon Walker, to resolve allegations that the lender violated the FTC Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, by improperly disseminating consumers’ personal information on Yelp in response to consumers’ negative reviews posted to that site.…
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FTC Finalizes Settlement with InfoTrax for Failure to Safeguard Consumer Data
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Posted in Enforcement, U.S. Federal Law
On January 6, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it granted final approval to a settlement with InfoTrax Systems, L.C. and its former CEO, Mark Rawlins, related to allegations that InfoTrax failed to implement reasonable, low-cost and readily available security safeguards to protect the personal information the company maintained on behalf of its business clients.
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OCR’s Second Settlement Under HIPAA Right of Access Initiative
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On December 12, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights announced its second enforcement action and settlement under its HIPAA Right of Access Initiative.…
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Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services Release First Update to Joint Guidance on FERPA and HIPAA Since 2008
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Posted in U.S. Federal Law
The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released joint guidance on the application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Privacy Rule to student records.…
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House Energy and Commerce Committee Staff Release Bipartisan Draft Privacy Bill
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Posted in U.S. Federal Law
On December 18, 2019, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a bipartisan staff-level draft privacy bill. The bill would create a new Bureau of Privacy within the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the bill and an Office of Business Mentorship to assist companies with compliance.…
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FTC Announces TCPA Junk Fax Prohibitions Do Not Apply to Online Faxes
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Posted in U.S. Federal Law
On December 9, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission announced that online fax services do not fall under legal prohibitions against junk faxes. …
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FTC Issues Final Order in Cambridge Analytica Case
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The Federal Trade Commission announced its Final Order and Opinion in the matter of Cambridge Analytica, LLC, finding that Cambridge Analytica violated the FTC Act’s Section 5 prohibition against “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” when harvesting personal information.…
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Four Companies Settle FTC Allegations Related to Privacy Shield Misrepresentations
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On December 3, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it had reached settlements in four separate Privacy Shield cases. …
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Senator Wicker Circulates Draft Privacy Bill
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Posted in U.S. Federal Law
On November 29, 2019, Senator Roger Wicker, Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, circulated a draft of a comprehensive federal privacy bill entitled the United States Consumer Data Privacy Act of 2019. …
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