Cybersecurity & Privacy

  • September 20, 2024

    AGs Push To Can Google Privacy Deal With No Class Payout

    Nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general are urging the Ninth Circuit to scrap a data privacy deal that requires Google to pay $62 million to plaintiffs' counsel and third-party organizations but gives no money to individual class members, arguing that consumers aren't adequately benefiting from the settlement.

  • September 20, 2024

    Fla. Judge Trims Health Co. Data Breach MDL

    The Florida federal judge overseeing the multidistrict litigation of a health benefits administration company impacted by a data breach dismissed several state consumer law claims but said those who brought lawsuits can sue, saying they've plausibly alleged injuries after their personal information was allegedly stolen by a cybercriminal group.

  • September 20, 2024

    FCC Launches $200M School, Library Cybersecurity Program

    The Federal Communications Commission has begun rolling out a new cybersecurity program for schools and libraries under the E-Rate federal subsidy for "anchor" institutions, highlighting their increasing vulnerabilities to cyberattacks.

  • September 20, 2024

    Golf Course Co. Sued Again; Earlier Data Breach Case Axed

    An Illinois-based golf course and hospitality management business faces a new lawsuit from a former employee for allegedly failing to protect its customers' personal information following an April breach, while a separate case against the business has been dismissed.

  • September 20, 2024

    Calif. Panel Backs VW Drivers' $3.5M Data Breach Deal

    California appellate justices have upheld Volkswagen and Audi drivers' $3.5 million data breach settlement and rejected an objector's request to intervene and vacate judgment, finding that her disagreement with their litigation strategy doesn't mean her interests weren't adequately represented. 

  • September 20, 2024

    BofA, Consumers Ink Deal To End COVID Card Fraud Claims

    Bank of America informed a New Jersey court on Friday it has reached a settlement in principle with three consumers who launched a proposed class action over the bank's allegedly insufficient security measures affecting prepaid debit cards for unemployment benefits during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • September 20, 2024

    NYC Lexus Dealership Snags Partial Win In TCPA Text Suit

    A Manhattan Lexus dealership was not using technology that violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act's ban on autodialers, a New York federal judge has ruled, handing the dealership a partial win in a class action accusing it of bugging noncustomers with unsolicited texts.

  • September 20, 2024

    Avenatti Seeks Top Court Review Of Daniels ID Theft Verdict

    Incarcerated celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review his conviction for misappropriating money from ex-client Stormy Daniels, claiming the Second Circuit's decision upholding the verdict runs afoul of precedent for identity-theft cases.

  • September 20, 2024

    Houston Judge Won't Take Up Prosecutor License Issue

    A Houston judge declined to take up allegations that a government prosecutor participated in a case against a Texas surgeon while her law license was suspended, denying the doctor's show cause motion in a brief order Thursday.

  • September 19, 2024

    Dechert Settles Aviation Exec's Hack Cover-Up RICO Claims

    An airline mogul has cut a confidential deal with Dechert and two former partners of the firm to let them off the hook in his sprawling civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act lawsuit in New York federal court, the settling parties announced Thursday.

  • September 19, 2024

    FTC's Holyoak Offers 'Alternative Vision' For Privacy, AI Work

    The Federal Trade Commission needs to rein in its work on data privacy and artificial intelligence rather than pursue sweeping actions that exceed its regulatory authority and threaten to compromise the support and funding the agency gets from Congress, according to one of its Republican commissioners. 

  • September 19, 2024

    Roblox Can't Ax Negligence Claims In Online Gambling Case

    Roblox must face claims it was negligent for failing to shield minor players from gambling through its platform after a California federal judge ruled Thursday that the plaintiffs adequately alleged it was foreseeable that the players would head to online casinos and gamble away their digital currency known as "Robux."

  • September 19, 2024

    Scammers Bilked At Least $230M In Bitcoin, Feds Say

    Two people were arrested and charged with conspiring to steal and launder at least $230 million in bitcoin, allegedly using online monikers like "Anne Hathaway" and "VersaceGod," federal prosecutors said Thursday.

  • September 19, 2024

    Filing After Bar Lapse Was Honest Mistake, Prosecutor Says

    A Texas surgeon facing criminal charges for giving patient data to a media outlet regarding gender-affirming care provided to minors accused the government's lead prosecutor of taking the case while she had a suspended law license, a blunder the attorney called an unintentional error on Thursday.

  • September 19, 2024

    Insurers Wrestle With 'Cyberwar' Policy Exclusions

    The evolving cyberinsurance market could be heading for a seismic shift if more insurers scale back standard business IT breach policies to limit the impact of state-backed cyberattacks on their bottom line.

  • September 19, 2024

    Tech Giants Falling Far Short On Data Privacy, FTC Says

    Facebook, Amazon and other major social media and video streaming platforms are deploying "woefully inadequate" data privacy practices to protect users of all ages, highlighting the urgent need for tighter restrictions on how these companies collect, use and retain personal information, the Federal Trade Commission said in a staff report issued Thursday.

  • September 18, 2024

    Kids' Online Safety, Privacy Bills Move To House Floor

    The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday advanced a pair of bipartisan bills aimed at enhancing children's digital safety and data privacy, despite several lawmakers voicing concerns with recent changes that a sponsor acknowledged left one measure a "weakened version" of the proposal that passed the U.S. Senate. 

  • September 18, 2024

    AI Musician Denies Purported $10M Streaming Scam

    A North Carolina man facing a novel fraud case alleging he used artificial intelligence on platforms like Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube to generate around $10 million in illegal revenues denied wrongdoing at his initial court appearance Wednesday in New York.

  • September 18, 2024

    FBI Dismantles Chinese Botnet, Urges Victims To Seek Aid

    FBI Director Christopher Wray announced Wednesday that the law enforcement agency has knocked out a botnet operated by a Chinese government-sponsored hacker group that was stealing confidential data by infecting internet-connected devices.

  • September 18, 2024

    Health AI Co. Says Texas AG 'Misrepresents' Compliance Deal

    The Texas attorney general's Wednesday announcement of a compliance agreement with a healthcare-focused artificial intelligence company has sparked backlash from the company, which accused the state prosecutor of "dangerously" misrepresenting their agreement.

  • September 18, 2024

    BIPA Doesn't Conflict With Kids Safety Law, Judge Rules

    An Illinois federal judge on Tuesday rejected Meta's bid to dismiss a biometric privacy class action alleging it improperly stored Messenger and Messenger Kids users' facial geometries to apply bunny-ear and other filters, finding a federal child privacy law does not preempt the suit.

  • September 18, 2024

    Meta Ditches Investor Suit Over Apple Ad Changes For Good

    A California federal judge on Tuesday tossed an investor suit against Meta alleging the tech giant hid the financial impact of Apple's privacy changes on its business, finding the suit's allegations weren't detailed enough to avoid dismissal.

  • September 18, 2024

    Bipartisan Bill Would Boost Acquisition Council's Authority

    A bipartisan group of House lawmakers has introduced a bill to boost a federal advisory council that makes recommendations for mitigating risks within federal supply chains, giving the council more funding and the ability to issue binding removal orders for risky technologies.

  • September 18, 2024

    Groups Seek To Sway FCC's Campaign Ad AI Disclosure Plan

    Consumer advocates want the Federal Communications Commission to strengthen its planned rules to require broadcasters to disclose the use of artificial intelligence in political ads, while the effort continues to draw strong conservative opposition.

  • September 18, 2024

    Staffing Co. Ex-CEO Gets Prison Time For $6M Billing Scheme

    The former CEO of a purported Georgia-based staffing company was sentenced to nearly eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud-related charges in a $6 million scheme using fake payroll invoices he sent to a financing business in Florida while pretending to be someone else.

Expert Analysis

  • What The SEC Liquidity Risk Management Amendments Entail

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    Fund managers should be cognizant of the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission's recent changes to certain reporting requirements and guidance related to open-end fund liquidity risk management programs, and update their filing systems if need be, says Rachael Schwartz at Sullivan & Worcester.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

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    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Service Agreement Lessons From July's Global Tech Outage

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    The worldwide outages recently caused by Crowdstrike Holdings' misconfigured software update highlight the need to evaluate potential IT vendors, negotiate certain service agreement terms, and review existing agreements and diligence forms to help prevent future disruptions and mitigate the fallout should one occur, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Calif. Bill, NTIA Report Illustrate Open-Model AI Safety Debate

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    The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s balanced recommendations for preventing misuse of open artificial intelligence models, contrasted with a more aggressive California bill, demonstrate an evolving regulatory debate about balancing democratic access to this powerful new technology against potential risks to the public, say Stuart Meyer and Fredrick Tsang at Fenwick.

  • Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Opinion

    A Fuzzy Label With Bite: FTC Must Define Surveillance Pricing

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently issued orders to eight companies — including Mastercard, McKinsey and Chase — seeking information on "surveillance pricing," but the order doesn't explain the term or make the distinction between legal and illegal practices, leaving any company that uses personalized pricing in the dark, says Chris Wlach at Huge.

  • New Employer Liability Risks In Old Ill. Genetic Privacy Law

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    Illinois’ Genetic Information Privacy Act has been litigated very sparsely, but two recent federal court decisions — Taylor v. Union Pacific and McKnight v. United Airlines — holding that preemployment family medical history questions violated the 1998 law may encourage more lawsuits, say Peter Berk and Madison Shepley at Clark Hill.

  • How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination

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    As legislators across the U.S. have begun addressing algorithmic discrimination in the workplace, attorneys at Reed Smith provide an overview of the status, applicability and provisions of 13 state and local bills.

  • Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls

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    Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • The Risks Of Employee Political Discourse On Social Media

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    As election season enters its final stretch and employees increasingly engage in political speech on social media, employers should beware the liability risks and consider policies that negotiate the line between employees' rights and the limits on those rights, say Bradford Kelley and James McGehee at Littler.

  • A Preview Of AI Priorities Under The Next President

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    For the first time in a presidential election, both of the leading candidates and their parties have been vocal about artificial intelligence policy, offering clues on the future of regulation as AI continues to advance and congressional action continues to stall, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

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    Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.

  • Finding Coverage For Online Retail Privacy Class Actions

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    Following recent court rulings interpreting state invasion of privacy and electronic surveillance statutes triggering a surge in the filing of privacy class actions against online retailers, companies should examine their various insurance policies, including E&O and D&O, for defense coverage of these claims, says Alison Gaske at Gilbert LLP.

  • The State Law Landscape After Justices' Social Media Ruling

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent NetChoice ruling on social media platforms’ First Amendment rights, it’s still unclear if state content moderation laws are constitutional, leaving online operators to face a patchwork of regulation, and the potential for the issue to return to the high court, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Old Employment Law Principles Can Answer New AI Concerns

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    Despite growing legal and regulatory concerns about how artificial intelligence tools may affect employment decisions and worker rights, companies should take comfort in knowing that familiar principles of employment law and established compliance regimes can still largely address these new twists on old questions, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

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