Tag Archives: Obama Administration

FTC Issues Final Report with Guidance on Companies’ Online Privacy Practices

Fifteen months after releasing its preliminary report, the Federal Trade Commission released its final Report, “Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change: A Proposed Framework for Business and Policymakers.” The much anticipated final report went further than the preliminary report by now calling for Congress to enact general privacy, data security and breach … Continue Reading

White House Releases Consumer Online “Privacy Bill of Rights”

By Erica Gann Kitaev on February 23, 2012 Posted in Federal Legislation, Online Privacy

The Obama Administration today unveiled a report entitled Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World: A Framework for Protecting Privacy and Promoting Innovation in the Global Digital Economy. A central component of the report, which is directed at improving online privacy protections, is a “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights.” The Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights … Continue Reading

Online Privacy and Data Security Legislation Update — 2011 Year in Review

By Craig A. Hoffman on December 28, 2011 Posted in Children’s Privacy, Cybersecurity, Federal Legislation, Online Privacy

The end of 2010 featured the Department of Commerce citing the need for a Privacy Bill of Rights in its green paper and the FTC's preliminary online privacy report discussing the need for a Do Not Track mechanism. The momentum generated by these reports led to the introduction of multiple versions of Do Not Track and comprehensive privacy rights bills in early 2011. By mid-2011, at least five different data security and breach notification proposals were circulating in the wake of high profile data breaches. Reports about location based tracking led to the introduction of geolocation privacy and surveillance bills. Proposed amendments to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and Video Privacy Protection Act were also made. And by the end of 2011, several cybersecurity bills designed to protect critical infrastructure had been introduced. Even though Congress held hearings on privacy issues, subcommittees approved several bills, and there was support from the Obama administration for comprehensive privacy legislation, as many expected, however, none of these bills were enacted when the first session of the 112th Congress adjourned December 18. The safe prediction for 2012 is more of the same--a lot of proposals but no consensus. It is certainly possible that another high profile data breach or cyberattack against a utility or government contractor could create enough urgency to force a consensus. However, numerous high profile breaches (Epsilon, Sony, Citi, RSA, Lockheed Martin and several health care providers), hactivist attacks against government security contractors (IRC Federal and HBGary), and reports about how the "weaponized" Stuxnet virus caused centrifuges in an Iranian nuclear facility to spin wildly out of control were not enough in 2011. We certainly expect to see data breach notification, comprehensive privacy, and cybersecurity bills addressed again in 2012. We may also see narrower bills aimed at online and location based tracking as well as Children's privacy. Emerging technology, including mobile payments and facial recognition, may also garner legislative attention. Below is a round-up of the 2011 privacy and data security legislative proposals, including links to more detailed analysis from our blog posts during the year.… Continue Reading

PRECISE Act Introduced in House to Boost Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

By Craig A. Hoffman on December 22, 2011 Posted in Cybersecurity, Federal Legislation

There has been no shortage of cybersecurity bills introduced in Congress in 2011. The Obama Administration even issued a cybersecurity legislative proposal in May 2011 that would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “to work with industry to identify the core critical-infrastructure operators and to prioritize the most important cyber threats and vulnerabilities for … Continue Reading