On August 25, 2016, WhatsApp announced in a blog post that the popular mobile messaging platform has updated its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to permit certain information sharing with Facebook. … Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission announced that it will host a workshop on September 15, 2016, "Putting Disclosures to the Test," on the efficacy and costs of consumer disclosures advertising and privacy policies. … Continue Reading
As we previously reported, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (“FAA’s”) proposed “small drone rule” nears completion of the interagency review process, but one potential stumbling block has been removed, at least for now. On Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied a request by the Electronic Privacy Information Center … Continue Reading
On March 14, 2016, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office published a guide, “Preparing for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – 12 Steps to Take Now.” The guide sets out a number of points that should inform organizations’ data privacy and governance programs ahead of the anticipated mid-2018 entry into force of the GDPR. … Continue Reading
On February 3, 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights announced that an Administrative Law Judge ruled that Lincare, Inc. violated the HIPAA Privacy Rule and ordered the company to pay 239,800 dollars to OCR.… Continue Reading
On December 9, 2015, the FTC announced that Wyndham Worldwide Corporation settled charges brought by the FTC stemming from allegations that the company unfairly failed to maintain reasonable data security practices.… Continue Reading
On August 24, 2015, the Third Circuit issued its opinion in Federal Trade Commission v. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, affirming the Federal Trade Commission's authority to regulate companies' data security practices under the unfairness prong of Section 5 of the FTC Act.… Continue Reading
Delaware Governor Jack Markell recently signed four bills into law concerning online privacy. The bills, drafted by the Delaware Attorney General, focus on protecting the privacy of website and mobile app users, children, students and crime victims.… Continue Reading
On July 28, 2015, the UK Supreme Court announced its decision to grant permission in part for Google to appeal the England and Wales Court of Appeal’s decision in Google Inc. v Vidal-Hall and Others. … Continue Reading
On May 20, 2015, the FCC released guidance advising broadband Internet service providers that the privacy protections of Section 222 of the Communications Act apply to broadband providers and that they should take “reasonable, good-faith steps” to protect consumer privacy.… Continue Reading
On May 13, 2015, the Belgian Data Protection Authority published a recommendation addressing Facebook’s social plug-in practices. The Recommendation stems from the recent discussions between the Belgian Data Protection Authority and Facebook regarding its privacy policy and the tracking of Internet activities.… Continue Reading
On April 8, 2015, the Federal Communications Commission announced a $25 million settlement with AT&T Services, Inc. stemming from allegations that AT&T failed to protect the confidentiality of consumers’ personal information.… Continue Reading
The Court of Appeal in the UK held that there is a tort of "misuse of private information," and that victims may recover damages without showing financial loss. … Continue Reading
On March 3, 2015, the Third Circuit heard oral arguments in FTC v. Wyndham Worldwide Corp. on whether the FTC has the authority to regulate private companies’ data security under Section 5 of the FTC Act.… Continue Reading
On December 9, 2014, a coalition of 23 global privacy authorities sent a letter to the operators of mobile app marketplaces urging them to require privacy policies for all apps that collect personal information. … Continue Reading
On August 14, 2014, the Center for Digital Democracy filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and requested that the Commission investigate 30 companies certified to the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework. … Continue Reading
On May 23, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission announced that the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection sent a letter to the court overseeing an education technology company's bankruptcy proceedings, to warn that the proposed sale of the company's assets (which includes personal information collected from students) raises privacy concerns. … Continue Reading
On May 7, 2014, Hunton and Williams partner Lisa Sotto presented a webinar hosted by IronBox Secure File Transfer, sharing her top tips in the event of a cybersecurity incident. This blog entry provides a link to view the webinar.… Continue Reading
On May 9, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement with clothing manufacturer American Apparel related to charges that the company falsely claimed to comply with the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework.… Continue Reading
On February 18, 2014, the Frankfurt am Main Regional Court issued a ruling addressing the use of opt-out notices for web analytics tools.… Continue Reading
On April 10, 2014, the FTC announced that the Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection had notified Facebook and WhatsApp, reminding both companies of their obligation to honor privacy statements made to consumers in connection with Facebook's proposed acquisition of WhatsApp.… Continue Reading
On April 7, 2014, a federal court issued an opinion allowing the Federal Trade Commission to proceed with its case against the Wyndham Worldwide Corporation for unfair data security practices.… Continue Reading
On March 28, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission announced proposed settlements with Fandango and Credit Karma stemming from allegations that the companies misrepresented the security measures they implemented to protect sensitive information transmitted using their mobile apps.… Continue Reading
On February 21, 2014, Peter Hustinx, the European Data Protection Supervisor, highlighted the need to enforce existing EU data protection law and swiftly adopt EU data protection law reforms as an essential part of rebuilding trust in EU-U.S. data flows. … Continue Reading
