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On March 11, 2022, the U.S. Senate passed an omnibus spending bill that includes language which would require certain critical infrastructure owners and operators to notify the federal government of cybersecurity incidents in specified circumstances. President Biden has until March 15, 2022, to sign the bill. This blog entry provides a summary of the bill.
Continue Reading Cyber Incident Reporting Language in Omnibus Bill Headed to President Biden’s Desk

On September 17, 2015, Prime Minister David Cameron issued a Written Ministerial Statement, announcing that policy responsibility for data protection issues and the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (the “ICO”) will both be transferred from the Ministry of Justice (the “MoJ”) to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, (the “DCMS”) with the changes taking effect on the same date. Existing data protection policy teams at the MoJ also will move to the DCMS.
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Continue Reading Changes to Policy Responsibility for the UK ICO

On February 14, 2012, a joint U.S. congressional committee introduced the Cybersecurity Act of 2012. The Act would empower DHS to create a regulatory framework for securing the nation’s infrastructure assets against cyber threats. It also would provide incentives and remove legal barriers to increased information sharing involving the federal government, the intelligence community and private industry.
Continue Reading Senators Introduce Cybersecurity Act of 2012

On September 7, 2011, the United Kingdom Information Tribunal published a decision that appears to resolve the long-running uncertainty regarding the extent to which anonymized personal information may be disclosed under the UK’s Freedom of Information legislation.
Continue Reading UK Information Tribunal Rules Properly Anonymized Personal Data Can Be Disclosed Under FOIA

On March 1, 2011, the United States Supreme Court unanimously reversed a Third Circuit decision finding that corporations are not entitled to “personal privacy” and therefore may not invoke Exemption 7(C) of the Freedom of Information Act.
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Continue Reading Supreme Court Holds Corporations Do Not Have “Personal Privacy” under Freedom of Information Act

Following the first “hung parliament” since 1974, the UK is facing considerable legislative reform under the newly formed Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition government, and one issue that unites the parties is their commitment to strengthening the current data protection regime implemented under the Labour government.
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Continue Reading Uncertainty Reigns Supreme: What Impact Will a Coalition Government Have on Data Protection Law in the UK?