New proposed legislation in California, backed by state Attorney General (AG) Xavier Becerra, would amend the new California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to make it easier for private plaintiffs and public officials to sue for violations while further increasing regulatory uncertainty and compliance costs for businesses.  Specifically, SB 561 would expand the CCPA’s private right of action, remove the Act’s public enforcement “cure” provision, and eliminate the ability of affected companies to seek compliance guidance from the AG.

The CCPA is a sweeping new privacy law which goes into effect in January 2020.  It gives California residents substantial control over personal data held by certain California businesses, requiring disclosure of what personal information the business collects, how that information is used or sold, and allowing consumers to control or delete that information upon request.  It currently allows private plaintiffs to seek statutory damages of up to $750 per violation for certain violations, and it allows the AG to seek civil penalties of up to $2,500 for most violations, and up to $7,500 for violations found to be intentional.
Continue Reading  California Legislation Would Make CCPA Even Worse for Businesses

Hold the date: Phil Yannella, Ballard Spahr partner and co-chair of the firm’s Privacy & Data Security Group, will participate in an ACC webcast on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 titled “The State of US State Privacy Laws.” The webcast will focus on the recent proliferation of US state privacy and data security laws, some of

On November 13, 2018, Ballard Spahr lawyers presented a webinar on the SEC’s recent “Report of Investigation” into “business email compromises” affecting public companies.

As noted in our prior blog post, the Report was prompted by the SEC’s investigation into whether nine public companies violated U.S. securities laws “by failing to have sufficient accounting controls” to prevent approximately $100 million in losses as a result of business email compromises targeting their personnel. The SEC investigated whether these companies violated Sections 13(b)(2)(B)(i) and (iii) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Although declining to pursue enforcement actions against the companies, the SEC emphasized its recent cybersecurity guidance, advising public companies that “[c]ybersecurity risk management policies and procedures are key elements of enterprise-wide risk management, including as it relates to compliance with federal securities laws.” (See our prior alert and blog post regarding the Interpretive Guidance).
Continue Reading  Listen to Our Webinar on “The SEC’s Special Report on Business Email Compromises: What It Means and What You Should Do”

Please join Ballard Spahr on October 4, 2018 in New York City for “Concordant Crossroads: Regulation and Innovation in the Automotive Industry,” presented by the Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute. Co-chaired by Ballard Spahr partners Neal Walters and Philip N. Yannella, this conference offers a practical and robust examination of the disruption that autonomous technology and regulation pose to transportation and the automotive industry.
Continue Reading  Join Us at Concordant Crossroads: Regulation and Innovation in the Automotive Industry

Ballard Spahr’s Privacy and Data Security Group will again be hosting its Colorado Cybersecurity Summit on September 18, 2018, at Ballard Spahr’s Denver office and via webinar.

Highlights will include a discussion with the Colorado Deputy Attorney General who will be responsible for enforcing Colorado’s groundbreaking new cybersecurity law, as well as the former Director

On June 27, 2018, Ballard Spahr partner David Stauss will speak at the Practicing Law Institute’s inaugural Internet of Things Conference in San Francisco. The full-day conference is also available via webcast.

The program will bring together industry leaders to discuss various issues with the rapidly changing landscape of IoT devices.  In his panel,

The decision last week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on petitions seeking review of the Federal Communications Commission’s 2015 Declaratory Ruling and Order implementing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) represents a partial victory for the industry.

In the decision, the D.C. Circuit reversed the FCC’s guidance on the definition

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Foundation recently completed its second State of Cybersecurity Report, which solicits feedback from hundreds of Chief Legal Officers and other in-house counsel worldwide on a wide range of cybersecurity issues, including cyber insurance, vendor management, and incident response.

Ballard Spahr is pleased to have served as the sponsor for the Report (Ballard also sponsored the first ACC Foundation State of Cybersecurity Report, published in 2016).
Continue Reading  Coming Soon: The ACC Foundation’s 2018 State of Cybersecurity Report

For those of you heading to Legaltech in New York next week, please join me and a great panel for what promises to be a lively discussion of hot topics in IoT and Mobile Discovery.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have been included in Relativity’s session on this topic at a number of conferences, and