Privacy & Information Security Law Blog

On March 4, 2015, the House of Representatives of Washington passed a bill (HB 1078), which would amend the state’s breach notification law to require notification to the state Attorney General in the event of a breach and impose a 45-day timing requirement for notification provided to affected residents and the state regulator. The bill also mandates content requirements for notices to affected residents, including (1) the name and contact information of the reporting business; (2) a list of the types of personal information subject to the breach; and (3) the toll-free telephone numbers and address of the consumer reporting agencies. In addition, while Washington’s breach notification law currently applies only to “computerized” data, the amended law would cover hard-copy data as well.

On March 3, 2015, the Third Circuit heard oral arguments in FTC v. Wyndham Worldwide Corp. (“Wyndham”) on whether the FTC has the authority to regulate private companies’ data security under Section 5 of the FTC Act.

On March 3, 2015, Steven Barnes, the host of the new Penn Law podcast series, Case in Point: Great Minds on Law and Life, interviewed Lisa Sotto, partner and chair of the Global Privacy and Cybersecurity practice at Hunton & Williams LLP, and Anita Allen, professor of law and philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and vice provost for faculty on trends in privacy and cybersecurity, discussing what we mean when we talk about our right to privacy.

On March 2, 2015, HuffPost Live interviewed four cybersecurity experts in response to a top financial regulator’s warning of an “Armageddon-type cyber event” that could eventually affect the U.S. economy. Lisa Sotto, partner and chair of the Global Privacy and Cybersecurity practice at Hunton & Williams LLP, was featured, describing the threat as legitimate and stressing that hackers are becoming more creative, sophisticated and motivated. She also emphasized that cybersecurity is a high-level governance issue for companies, not an IT matter.

On February 23, 2015, the Wyoming Senate approved a bill (S.F.36) that adds several data elements to the definition of “personal identifying information” in the state’s data breach notification statute. The amended definition will expand Wyoming’s breach notification law to cover certain online account access credentials, unique biometric data, health insurance information, medical information, birth and marriage certificates, certain shared secrets or security tokens used for authentication purposes, and individual taxpayer identification numbers. The Wyoming Senate also agreed with amendments proposed by the Wyoming House of Representatives to another bill (S.F.35) that adds content requirements to the notice that breached entities must send to affected Wyoming residents. Both bills are now headed to the Wyoming Governor Matt Mead for signing.

On February 12, 2015, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada released a research report entitled Privacy and Cyber Security - Emphasizing privacy protection in cyber security activities (the “Report”). The Report explores the interconnected relationship among cybersecurity, privacy and data protection, including common interests and challenges.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has prepared a new bill that, although styled a “security breach” bill, would impose substantial new privacy obligations on companies holding the personal data of Indiana residents. Introduced by Indiana Senator James Merritt (R-Indianapolis) on January 12, 2015, SB413 would make a number of changes to existing Indiana law. For example, it would amend the existing Indiana breach notification law to apply to all data users, rather than owners of data bases. The bill also would expand Indiana’s breach notification law to eliminate the requirement that the breached data be computerized for notices to be required.

On January 13, 2015, the French Data Protection Authority (the “CNIL”) published a Referential (the “Referential”) that specifies the requirements for organizations with a data protection officer (“DPO”) in France to obtain a seal for their data privacy governance procedures.

On January 13, 2015, President Obama announced legislative proposals and administration efforts with respect to cybersecurity, including a specific proposal for a national data breach notification standard. Aside from the national data breach notification standard, the President’s other proposals are designed to (1) encourage the private sector to increase the sharing of information related to cyber threats with the federal government and (2) modernize law enforcement to effectively prosecute illegal conduct related to cybersecurity.

On November 21, 2014, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced that Boston hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (“BIDMC”) has agreed to pay a total of $100,000 to settle charges related to a data breach that affected the personal and protected health information of nearly 4,000 patients and employees.

On November 18, 2014, Hunton & Williams’ Global Privacy and Cybersecurity practice group hosted the latest webcast in its Hunton Global Privacy Update series. The program covered a number of privacy and data protection topics, including a report on the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, highlights on the Council of the European Union’s proposed revisions to the compliance obligations of data controllers and data processors included in Chapter IV of the forthcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation, and U.S. highlights on California’s breach report and Federal Communications Commission enforcement actions.

On October 30, 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada extended the deadline for the province of Alberta to amend its Personal Information Protection Act (“PIPA”). In November 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada declared PIPA invalid because it interfered with the right to freedom of expression in the labor context under Section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Supreme Court of Canada gave the Alberta legislature 12 months to determine how to make the legislation constitutionally compliant, which it apparently failed to do. The new deadline for amending PIPA is May 2015.

On October 28, 2014, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced the release of the second annual California Data Breach Report. The report provides information on data breaches reported to California’s Attorney General in 2012 and 2013. Overall, 167 breaches were reported by 136 different entities to California’s Attorney General in 2013. According to the report, 18.5 million records of California residents were compromised by these reported breaches, up more than 600 percent from the 2.6 million records compromised in 2012. In addition, the number of reported data breaches increased by 28 percent in 2013, rising from 131 in 2012 to 167 in 2013.

On October 10, 2014, TD Bank, N.A. entered into an assurance of voluntary compliance (“Assurance”) with a multistate group of nine attorneys general to settle allegations that the company violated state consumer protection and personal information safeguards laws in connection with a 2012 data breach. The breach involved the loss of two unencrypted backup tapes containing the personal information of approximately 260,000 customers. The Assurance requires TD Bank to pay $850,000 to the attorneys general.

On October 8, 2014, the Department of Homeland Security reported that over the course of several months, the network of a large critical manufacturing company was compromised. According to the ICS-CERT Monitor, the compromised company is a conglomerate that acquired multiple organizations in recent years, resulting in multiple corporate networks being merged. The Department of Homeland Security concluded that these mergers introduced latent weaknesses into the company’s network, allowing hackers to go largely undetected for a significant period of time.

On September 30, 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown announced the recent signings of several bills that provide increased privacy protections to California residents. The newly-signed bills are aimed at protecting student privacy, increasing consumer protection in the wake of a data breach, and expanding the scope of California’s invasion of privacy and revenge porn laws. Unless otherwise noted, the laws will take effect on January 1, 2015.

Hunton & Williams Insurance Litigation & Counseling partner Lon Berk reports:

An Israeli security firm recently uncovered a hacking operation that had been active for more than a decade. Over that period, hackers breached government servers, banks and corporations in Germany, Switzerland and Austria by using over 800 phony front companies (which all had the same IP address) to deliver unique malware to victims’ systems. The hackers purchased digital security certificates for each phony company to make the sites appear legitimate to visitors. Data reportedly stolen included studies on biological warfare and nuclear physics, plans for key infrastructure, and bank account and credit card data.

On August 19, 2014, California state legislators made final amendments to a bill updating the state’s breach notification law. The amended bill, which passed the State Senate on August 21 and the Assembly on August 25, is now headed to California Governor Jerry Brown for signature. If signed, the scope of the existing law would extend to apply to entities that “maintain” personal information about California residents. Currently, only entities that “own” or “license” such personal information are required to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices to protect the personal information from unauthorized access, destruction, modification or disclosure.

On June 20, 2014, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a bill into law that repeals and replaces the state’s existing breach notification statute with a similar law entitled the Florida Information Protection Act (Section 501.171 of the Florida Statutes) (the “Act”).

It seems that every week brings news that another company has been impacted by a major data breach – and of the resulting financial, legal and public relations costs. As companies seek out ways to prevent these events and recoup losses associated with a data breach, cyber insurance is increasingly discussed as an effective method of recovery. In a recent article published in the Daily Journal, Hunton & Williams’ Insurance Coverage Counseling and Litigation attorney William T. Um offers a primer on cyber insurance, outlining key considerations for businesses as they explore this emerging area of coverage. The article discusses how:

On May 14, 2014, Hunton & Williams’ Global Privacy and Cybersecurity practice group hosted the latest webcast in its Hunton Global Privacy Update series. The program provided a global overview of some of the most debated topics in data protection and privacy, including cross-border data flows, global data breach issues and the EU Cybersecurity Directive. In addition, we highlighted the latest information regarding the GPEN enforcement sweep.

On May 7, 2014, IronBox Secure File Transfer hosted a webinar featuring “Queen of Breach” attorney Lisa Sotto, who shared her top tips in the event of a data breach. Lisa Sotto, partner and head of the Global Privacy and Cybersecurity practice at Hunton & Williams LLP, discussed the current cyber risk landscape and led participants through a hypothetical data breach scenario. She taught participants how to manage a data breach if the worst happens and provided key steps companies should take to prepare proactively for a cybersecurity event.

On May 7, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced that NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (“NYP”) and Columbia University (“CU”) agreed to collectively pay $4.8 million in the largest HIPAA settlement to date, to settle charges that they potentially violated the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.

On February 18, 2014, the Frankfurt am Main Regional Court issued a ruling addressing the use of opt-out notices for web analytics tools. The case concerned Piwik web analytics software and its “AnonymizeIP” function. The court held that website users must be informed clearly about their right to object to the creation of pseudonymized usage profiles. This information must be provided when a user first visits the website (e.g., via a pop-up or highlighted/linked wording on the first page) and must be accessible at all times (e.g., via a privacy notice).

On May 1, 2014, the White House released a report examining how Big Data is affecting government, society and commerce. In addition to questioning longstanding tenets of privacy legislation, such as notice and consent, the report recommends (1) passing national data breach legislation, (2) revising the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (“ECPA”), and (3) advancing the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights.

On April 23, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced settlements with two health care companies stemming from allegations of inadequate information security practices in the wake of investigations involving stolen laptop computers. Concentra Health Services (“Concentra”) and QCA Health Plan Inc. (“QCA”) will collectively pay nearly $2 million to settle the claims.

On April 10, 2014, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed into law a data breach notification statute requiring persons and entities conducting business in Kentucky to notify individuals whose personally identifiable information was compromised in certain circumstances. The law will take effect on July 14, 2014.

On April 7, 2014, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued an opinion in Federal Trade Commission v. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, allowing the FTC to proceed with its case against the company. Wyndham had argued that the FTC lacks the authority to regulate data security under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The judge rejected Wyndham’s challenge, ruling that the FTC can charge Wyndham with unfair data security practices. The case will continue to be litigated on the issue of whether Wyndham’s data security practices constituted a violation of Section 5.

On March 25, 2014, the Article 29 Working Party adopted Opinion 03/2014 (the “Opinion”) providing guidance on whether individuals should be notified in case of a data breach.

The Opinion goes beyond considering the notification obligations contained in the e-Privacy Directive 2002/58/EC, which requires telecommunications service providers to notify the competent national authority of all data breaches. The Directive also requires notification (without undue delay) to the affected individuals when the data breach is likely to adversely affect the personal data or privacy of individuals, unless the service provider has satisfactorily demonstrated that it has implemented appropriate technological safeguards that render the relevant data unintelligible to unauthorized parties and that these measures were applied to the data concerned by the security breach.

On March 20, 2014, Australia’s Privacy Amendment (Privacy Alerts) Bill 2014 was re-introduced in the Senate for a first read. The bill, which was subject to a second reading debate on March 27, 2014, originally was introduced on May 29, 2013, but it lapsed on November 12, 2013 at the end of the session.

On March 18, 2014, a new French consumer law (Law No. 2014-344) was published in the Journal Officiel de la République Franҫaise. The new law strengthens the investigative powers of the French Data Protection Authority (the “CNIL”) by giving the CNIL the ability to conduct online inspections.

On March 7, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced a resolution agreement and $215,000 settlement with Skagit County, Washington, following a security breach that affected approximately 1,600 individuals.

Triple-S Management Corporation reported in the 8-K it recently filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that its health insurance subsidiary, Triple-S Salud, Inc. (“Triple S”), which is Puerto Rico’s largest health insurer, will be fined $6.8 million for a data breach that occurred in September 2013. The civil monetary penalty, which is being levied by the Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration, will be the largest fine ever imposed following a breach of protected health information.

The scale of some recent cyber events has been extraordinary. Target reports that 70 million people (almost 25% of the U.S. population) were affected by its recent breach. CNN recently reported that in South Korea there was a breach that affected 40% of its citizens. The staggering impact of these events is leading companies to seek protection through both technology and financial products, such as insurance. Insurers typically attempt to avoid this sort of enormous exposure with terrorism exclusions, and it is reasonable to expect aggressive insurers to rely upon such exclusions ...

On February 11, 2014, Germany’s Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection announced that consumer rights organizations will soon be able to sue businesses directly for breaches of German data protection law. Such additional powers had already been contemplated by the German governing coalition’s agreement and the Minister now expects to present a draft law in April of this year to implement them.

Recent media attention focused on the security breach that affected millions of Target customers has increased interest in cyber insurance to cover the financial losses associated with these types of events. As insurers aggressively market insurance products to protect against cyber risks, it’s important to note differences in the language carriers have chosen to include in their policy forms. Contrary to reasonable expectations and marketing brochures, policy clauses concerning timing, and conditions requiring due diligence, might be used by an aggressive insurer to ...

On January 8, 2014, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chair of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, reintroduced the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2014, comprehensive information security legislation that would establish a national standard for data breach notification and require businesses to safeguard customers’ sensitive personal information from cyber threats. The bill also would establish criminal penalties for individuals who intentionally or willfully conceal a security breach involving personal data when the incident causes economic damage to consumers.

On December 31, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Accretive Health, Inc. (“Accretive”) has agreed to settle charges that the company’s inadequate data security measures unfairly exposed sensitive consumer information to the risk of theft or misuse. Accretive experienced a breach in July 2011 that involved the protected health information of more than 23,000 patients.

On December 26, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced a resolution agreement and $150,000 settlement with Adult & Pediatric Dermatology, P.C. (“APDerm”), a private dermatology practice based in Massachusetts, following a security breach that affected approximately 2,200 individuals. In connection with the announcement, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) Director Leon Rodriguez stated that “[c]overed entities of all sizes need to give priority to securing electronic protected health information.”

In recent months, the Chinese government has devoted attention to the protection of personal information with, as we previously reported, the promulgation of a number of new data protection regulations. This focus is also illustrated by recent actions related to crimes involving personal information.

On November 27, 2013, the State Post Bureau of the People’s Republic of China (the “SPBC”) released five draft normative rules for solicitation of public comment. Three of these rules, respectively entitled Provisions on the Management of the Security of Personal Information of Postal and Delivery Service Users (the “Draft Provisions”), Provisions on the Reporting and Handling of Security Information in the Postal Sector (the “Reporting and Handling Provisions”), and Provisions on the Management of Undeliverable Express Mail Items (the “Management Provisions”) contain significant requirements regarding the protection of personal information. The deadline for submitting comments on the rules is December 27, 2013.

On November 15, 2013, the People’s Bank of China (the “PBOC”) issued its Administrative Measures for Credit Reference Agencies (the “Measures”) – eight months after the Administrative Regulations on the Credit Information Collection Sector (the “Regulations”) became effective on March 15, 2013. The Measures, which will take effect on December 20, 2013, were formulated to enhance the supervision and regulation of credit reference agencies and to promote positive developments in the credit information services sector.

On October 21, 2013, the European Parliament approved its Compromise Text of the proposed EU General Data Protection Regulation (the “Proposed Regulation”). The approval follows months of negotiations between the various parliamentary committees. The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (“LIBE”) has been in charge of working toward an agreement on the Compromise Text in the European Parliament.

On October 7, 2013, the United States District Court for the Central District of California held that a general liability insurance policy covered data breach claims alleging violations of California patients’ right to medical privacy. Hartford Casualty Insurance Co. v. Corcino & Associates, CV 13-03728-GAF (C.D. Cal. Oct. 7, 2013). The court rejected the insurer’s argument that coverage was negated by an exclusion for liabilities resulting from a violation of rights created by state or federal acts. The decision also rejected an attempt commonly made by insurers to exclude ...

On September 26, 2013, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) published new breach notification guidance (the “Guidance”), applicable to telecom operators, Internet service providers (“ISPs”) and other public electronic communications service (“ECS”) providers.

Today, September 23, 2013, marks the deadline for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) Omnibus Rule that was issued in January 2013. Covered entities, business associates and subcontractors that access, use or disclose protected health information (“PHI”) will need to take the following actions:

On September 9, 2013, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) published its revised guidelines governing the protection of privacy and transborder flows of personal data (the “Revised Guidelines”), updating the OECD’s original guidelines from 1980 that became the first set of accepted international privacy principles.

On September 10, 2013, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) published new guidance on direct marketing (the “Guidance”). The Guidance explains the application of the two principal legislative instruments that affect direct marketing in the UK: (1) the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (“PECR”), which relates specifically to direct marketing; and (2) the Data Protection Act 1998 (the “DPA”), which governs data protection issues generally. The Guidance is not legally binding, but it reflects the ICO’s interpretation of the requirements and indicates how the ICO is likely to enforce them.

On September 4, 2013, California state legislators passed an amendment to the state’s breach notification law. The bill, SB 46, would expand notification requirements to include security incidents involving the compromise of personal information that would permit access to an online or email account. Pursuant to SB 46, the definition of “personal information” contained in Sections 1798.29 and 1798.82 of California’s Civil Code would be amended to include “a user name or email address, in combination with a password or security question and answer that would permit access to an online account.” Notably, the compromise of these data elements alone  ̶  even when not in conjunction with an individual’s first name or first initial and last name  ̶  would trigger a notification obligation under the amended law. In addition, the bill does not limit the data elements that constitute “personal information” to those that would permit access to an individual’s financial account.

On August 29, 2013, the FTC announced that it had filed a complaint against LabMD, Inc. (“LabMD”) for failing to protect consumers’ personal data. According to the complaint, LabMD, which performs various laboratory tests for consumers, exposed the personal information of more than 9,000 consumers on a peer-to-peer (“P2P”) file-sharing network. Specifically, a LabMD spreadsheet that was found on the P2P network contained names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, health insurance information and medical treatment codes. In another instance, identity thieves were able to obtain LabMD documents that contained the personal information of more than 500 consumers, including names, Social Security numbers and bank account information.

As reported by Bloomberg BNA, the South African Parliament passed the Protection of Personal Information Bill on August 22, 2013. The bill, which was sent to President Jacob Zuma to be signed into law, represents South Africa’s first comprehensive data protection legislation.

On August 28, 2013, on the UK Information Commissioner’s Office’s (“ICO’s”) blog, Simon Rice, Technology Group Manager for the ICO, discussed the importance of encryption as a data security measure. He stated that storing any personal information is “inherently risky” but encryption can be a “simple and effective means” to safeguard personal information and reduce the risk of security breaches.

This week a new breach notification regulation takes effect across the EU. The Regulation on the measures applicable to the notification of personal data breaches under Directive 2002/58/EC (the “Regulation”) specifies the technical measures of how Internet service providers, telecommunications providers and other public electronic communications service (“ECS”) providers must notify of data breaches.

On August 14, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced a resolution agreement and $1,215,780 settlement with Affinity Health Plan (“Affinity”) stemming from a security breach that affected approximately 350,000 individuals.

On April 19, 2013, the North Dakota legislature amended the state’s breach notification law (Section 51-30-01 of the North Dakota Century Code) to expand the definition of “personal information” to include “health insurance information” and “medical information.” Pursuant to the amended breach law, “health insurance information” is defined to mean an “individual’s health insurance policy number or subscriber identification number and any unique identifier used by a health insurer to identify the individual.” “Medical information” is defined to mean “any information regarding an individual’s medical history, mental or physical condition, or medical treatment or diagnosis by a health care professional.” The amendment also carves out an exemption for covered entities, business associates and subcontractors that are subject to the breach notification requirements of 45 C.F.R. 164, Subpart D.

On July 16, 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China (the “MIIT”) issued a new rule entitled Provisions on the Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunications and Internet Users (the “Provisions”). The Provisions, which will take effect on September 1, 2013, are intended to implement the general requirements set forth in last December’s Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Relating to Strengthening the Protection of Information on the Internet (the “Resolution”). The Provisions are the first specific regulations concerning personal information protection by telecommunications service providers in China.

On July 11, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced a resolution agreement and $1.7 million settlement with WellPoint Inc. following a security breach that affected over 600,000 individuals.

In recent months, the Belgian media has reported on a significant increase in data breaches. In December 2012, the National Belgian Railway Company inadvertently published 1.46 million sets of customer data online. The rise in data security incidents has caught the attention of the Belgian Privacy Commission, which has the authority to make recommendations on any matter relating to the application of the fundamental data protection principles in the Belgian Data Protection Act of December 8, 1992. In a May 2013 article published in Bloomberg BNA’s World Data Protection Report

On June 24, 2013, the European Commission announced new technical implementing measures that address the EU data breach notification requirement for telecom operators and internet service providers (“ISPs”). Based on a Commission Regulation, these companies must:

• notify the competent national authority of the incident (or at least provide an initial description thereof) within 24 hours after detection of the breach;
• outline which data are affected and what measures have been or will be taken by the company;
• pay attention to the type of data compromised when assessing whether to notify subscribers (i.e. evaluating whether the breach is likely to have an adverse effect on personal data or privacy); and
• use a standardized format for notifying the competent national authority (e.g. an online form which is the same for all EU Member States).

On July 1, 2013, Practising Law Institute (“PLI”) hosts its first symposium on Cybersecurity 2013: Managing the Risk in New York. Hunton & Williams partner Lisa J. Sotto is the Chair of the event. The program features timely cybersecurity topics, including the threat landscape, the legal environment (such as the Obama Administration’s Executive Order on Cybersecurity), and how companies can manage cybersecurity incidents when they occur and seek to prevent cyber attacks before they occur. Hunton & Williams partner Paul M. Tiao and Centre for Information Policy Leadership ...

On June 20, 2013, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) launched its Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2012/13 (the “Report”). Introducing the Report, Information Commissioner Christopher Graham strongly emphasized that, as consumers become increasingly aware of their information rights, good privacy practices will become a commercial benefit and a business differentiator. He outlined the seven key “e”s of the ICO’s role: enforce, educate, empower, enable, engage, and to be effective and efficient.

On June 14, 2013, the European Data Protection Supervisor (the “EDPS”) issued an Opinion regarding a joint communication by the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Cyber Security Strategy of the European Union: an Open, Safe and Secure Cyberspace (the “Strategy”), as well as the European Commission’s proposed draft directive to ensure uniformly high security measures for network and information security across the EU (the “NIS Directive”). The EDPS welcomes recognizing privacy and data protection as core values of a robust cybersecurity policy, as opposed to separating out security and privacy, but draws attention to several deficiencies, stating that “the ambitions of the strategy are not reflected in how it will be implemented.”

On May 31, 2013, the Council of the European Union’s Justice and Home Affairs released a draft compromise text in response to the European Commission’s proposed General Data Protection Regulation (the “Proposed Regulation”). This compromise text narrows the scope of the Proposed Regulation and seeks to move from a detailed, prescriptive approach toward a risk-based framework.

On June 3, 2013, Privacy Piracy host Mari Frank interviewed Lisa J. Sotto, partner and head of the Global Privacy and Data Security practice at Hunton & Williams LLP, on KUCI 88.9 FM radio in Irvine, California. Listen to the latest developments in cybersecurity, including legal issues businesses should consider when dealing with cybersecurity threats and the types of information being targeted.

Access the radio interview.

On May 29, 2013, a bill, accompanied by an explanatory memorandum, was proposed in the Australian Parliament that requires businesses and government agencies that experience a serious data breach to notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (“OAIC”). The proposed legislation requires organizations to notify individuals only when they are “significantly affected” by a “serious” data breach. Breaches that merely pose a “remote risk” of harm would not require notification. The factors organizations should assess when determining whether a breach is “serious” include: (1) harm to a person’s reputation, (2) economic harm, (3) financial harm, and (4) physical and psychological harm. Additionally, the bill specifies that implementing regulations may identify other situations that would require notification even if the breach does not give rise to a risk of serious harm. Organizations should notify affected individuals through the normal method of communication they have previously used to communicate with those individuals. Absent a normal method of prior communication, organizations must take reasonable steps to notify the affected individuals via email, telephone or postal mail. If passed, the legislation would become effective in March 2014.

On June 3, 2013, Privacy Piracy host Mari Frank will interview Lisa J. Sotto, partner and head of the Global Privacy and Data Security practice at Hunton & Williams LLP, on KUCI 88.9 FM radio in Irvine, California. Listen to the latest developments in cybersecurity, including legal issues businesses should consider when dealing with cybersecurity threats and the types of information being targeted. The radio interview will be featured at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time on KUCI 88.9 FM and is available via audio streaming at www.kuci.org

On May 23, 2013, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (“OPC”) issued a position paper (the “Paper”) proposing revisions to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) to better align PIPEDA with the risks facing a modern information economy. Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart addressed the release of the Paper in her remarks at the IAPP Canada Privacy Symposium, stating that “[i]t is increasingly clear that the law is not up to the task of meeting the challenges of today – and certainly not those of tomorrow.” According to the Paper, the surge in the collection, availability and use of personal data has upset the balance between the privacy rights of individuals and the legitimate needs of businesses originally struck by PIPEDA. In response, the Paper proposes four general revisions to PIPEDA:

On May 20, 2013, the Irish Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (“ODPC”) published its annual report for 2012 (the “Report”). The Report summarizes the activities of the ODPC during 2012, including its investigations and audits, policy matters, and European and international activities.

On May 14, 2013, London Economics published the results of an independent survey commissioned by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) to help understand the challenges that the European Commission’s proposed General Data Protection Regulation (the “Proposed Regulation”) may present to UK businesses (the “Report”).

On April 29, 2013, the Belgian Privacy Commission announced that it referred a data breach case involving The National Belgian Railway Company to the Brussels Public Prosecutor. The data breach, which occurred in December 2012, resulted in the 1.46 million sets of customer data being made publicly available online. The Privacy Commission investigated the case and concluded that there had been a violation of the Belgian Data Protection Act, but since the Privacy Commission does not have the authority to impose sanctions for the violation, it referred the case to the prosecutor’s office to initiate criminal proceedings. The Privacy Commission commented that this is the first time that it has referred a data breach case to the Public Prosecutor.

On April 10, 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China (the “MIIT”) enacted two draft rules (“Provisions on the Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunications and Internet Users” and “Provisions on the Registration of Real Identity Information of Telephone Users”) to solicit public comments. The comment period is open until May 15, 2013. Both Drafts include proposals for substantial provisions on the protection of personal information and were enacted according to the Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Relating to Strengthening the Protection of Information on the Internet (issued by the Standing Committee in December 2012) and some other telecommunications rules.

As the number of security breach incidents and privacy violations continues to increase, so too has the volume of lawsuits—particularly class action lawsuits—seeking damages for actual and future harms resulting from unauthorized disclosures of personal information. Affected companies have looked to their traditional insurance coverage to defray costs associated with responding to these incidents and lawsuits, but standardized commercial general liability policies may not provide adequate coverage.

On January 17, 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a final omnibus rule modifying prior regulations enacted pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Among the key changes that will come into effect this September is the addition of a provision that dramatically increases the number of organizations directly subject to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Breach Notification and Enforcement Rules. In an article published in the March/April issue of Storage & Destruction Business Magazine, Lisa J. Sotto, partner and head of the ...

Hunton & Williams LLP is pleased to announce that Lisa J. Sotto, partner and head of the firm’s Global Privacy and Data Security practice, has been named to The National Law Journal’s “The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” list. Last published in 2006, this is only the eighth time this list of legal luminaries has been compiled since it was first established in 1985 as “Profiles in Power.”

On March 27, 2013, the UK Government announced the Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership (“CISP”), a partnership between government and industry to share intelligence on cybersecurity threats.

Introduction of the CISP follows a successful pilot program across key UK sectors and is part of the UK’s Cyber Security Strategy to facilitate information-sharing on cyber threats. It introduces a secure web portal where government and industry partners can exchange real-time information regarding threats and vulnerabilities they have identified. It also sets up a team of expert analysts, the Fusion Cell, to draw together a single intelligence picture of cyber threats across the UK. It is understood that the Fusion Cell will be staffed by analysts drawn from industry, as well as the law enforcement and intelligence communities.

On March 1, 2013, the Irish Presidency published a note to the European Council of Ministers regarding its progress on the European Commission’s proposed General Data Protection Regulation (“Proposed Regulation”). The Note details the Irish Presidency’s work to bring a more risk-based approach to the Proposed Regulation.

On March 12, 2013, the UK Government Justice Committee published a report on the functions, powers and resources of the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (the “Report”). The Report highlights several key issues raised during an oral evidence session held with the UK Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, and his two Deputy Commissioners, David Smith and Graham Smith. The Justice Select Committee published the Report to draw these key issues to the attention of the UK Parliament.

On March 5, 2013, Costa Rica published the Reglamento a la Ley de Protección de la Persona Frente al Tratamiento de sus Datos Personales (Regulations of the Law of Protection of the Person in the Processing of His Personal Data) (the “Regulations”). The wide-ranging Regulations, which took effect immediately, expand and clarify many aspects of the underlying law and include the requirements described below.

As reported in The Washington Post, large financial institutions are increasingly disclosing cyber attacks, and potential vulnerability to cyber threats, in their annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Numerous banks disclosed such attacks in their 2012 reports, even in cases where the ongoing threat of the attacks did not result in any material harm to the institution. For example:

On February 20, 2013, the UK Court of Appeal issued its decision in Smeaton v Equifax Plc, [2013] EWCA Civ 108, overturning an award of damages to an individual about whom a credit reference agency had maintained an inaccurate record.

On February 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court decided in Clapper v. Amnesty International that U.S. persons who engage in communications with individuals who may be potential targets of surveillance under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (“FISA”) lack standing to challenge the statute’s constitutionality. The Supreme Court determined that the plaintiffs’ alleged injuries were not “certainly impending” and that the measures they claimed to have taken to avoid surveillance were not “fairly traceable” to the challenged statute. Although this 5-4 decision would not be considered a “privacy” or “data breach” case, the Court’s analysis will have a significant impact on such cases going forward, and may thwart the ability of individuals affected by data breaches to assert standing based on possible future harm.

On February 20, 2013, Hunton & Williams LLP hosted a webinar on cybersecurity risks and the Obama Administration’s recently-issued Executive Order on cybersecurity issues related to critical infrastructure. The webinar, entitled “The Cybersecurity Executive Order: Understanding Its Impact on Your Business,” covered issues such as the current threat landscape, U.S. and EU regulatory initiatives related to cybersecurity, and guidelines to help businesses prevent and manage cyber events.

On February 12, 2013, the Obama Administration released its highly-anticipated Executive Order on cybersecurity. Evolving cyber threats and increased government attention to these issues will affect companies in every industry, and businesses must consider a proactive approach to protecting against risks to critical business systems, company personal data, intellectual property and other proprietary information.

On February 7, 2013, the European Commission, together with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, launched their cybersecurity strategy for the European Union (“Strategy”). As part of this Strategy, the European Commission also proposed a draft directive on measures to ensure a common level of network and information security (“NIS”) across the EU (the “Directive”).

On January 28, 2013, the London office of Hunton & Williams marked European Data Privacy Day with the launch of the fourth edition of Data Protection Law & Practice, written by Senior Attorney Rosemary Jay. A panel comprised of the current UK Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham; his three predecessors, Eric Howe CBE, Elizabeth France CBE and Richard Thomas CBE; and the UK Minister of State for Justice, Lord McNally, spoke at the event and provided a retrospective on data protection in the United Kingdom since the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (“ICO’s”) inception in 1984.

On January 28, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission announced a proposed settlement agreement with CBR Systems, Inc. (“CBR”), an operator of a cord blood bank, which collects personal information about consumers and physicians through its websites and in connection with the provision of its services, including names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and health information.

The wait is over. On January 17, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (“HHS’”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) released its long-anticipated megarule (“Omnibus Rule”) amending the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Breach Notification and Enforcement Rules. These amendments implement and expand on the requirements of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (“HITECH”) Act and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008. The Omnibus Rule is effective March 26, 2013, and compliance is required with respect to most provisions no later than September 23, 2013. Coming into compliance will require significant effort and attention by covered entities and business associates alike. Below we highlight some of the more significant aspects of the Omnibus Rule and provide critical compliance tips.

On January 24, 2013, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) served Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited (“Sony”) with a monetary penalty of £250,000 resulting from a serious breach of the Data Protection Act 1998. An April 2011 security incident involving the Sony PlayStation Network Platform affected the personal data of millions of customers, including names, addresses, email addresses, dates of birth, account passwords and credit card details.

In an interview with Tom Field of BankInfoSecurity, Lisa J. Sotto, partner and head of the Global Privacy and Data Security practice at Hunton & Williams LLP, discussed the top privacy trends and threats for 2013. Lisa predicts that security vulnerabilities will remain the biggest threat to privacy, particularly with the move toward mobile computing. She also talked about key issues to watch in 2013, such as online behavioral advertising, big data and evolving privacy legislation and regulation, especially in the EU and other countries around the globe.

Listen to Lisa’s ...

On January 10, 2013, the rapporteur to the EU Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (“LIBE”), Jan Philipp Albrecht, presented his draft report (the “Report”) on the proposed amendments to the European Commission’s proposed General Data Protection Regulation (the “Proposed Regulation”) to the LIBE Committee.

On January 2, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced a resolution agreement and $50,000 settlement with Hospice of North Idaho (“HONI”) for a breach that affected 441 individuals. This action is notable because prior HHS enforcement actions relating to breaches have involved a greater number of affected individuals (for example, the first breach-related enforcement action in March 2012 affected more than 1 million). The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (“HITECH”) Breach Notification Rule sets 500 as a threshold number of affected individuals triggering certain notification requirements such as the obligation to notify HHS within 60 days of discovery of the breach.

On December 10, 2012, Tom Field of HealthcareInfoSecurity interviewed Lisa J. Sotto, partner and head of the Global Privacy and Data Security practice at Hunton & Williams LLP. Discussing the top legal issues in 2012, Lisa said that data breaches remain at the top of the list, with an increase in malicious cyberattacks. She also addressed the need to combat cybercrime.

Listen to Lisa’s interview.

On November 22, 2012, the UK Ministry of Justice released a written ministerial statement (“Statement”) announcing the publication of its Government Impact Assessment on the European Commission’s legislative reform package on the EU data protection framework. The European Commission has claimed that a regulation implementing a single set of data protection rules across the European Union would save businesses around €2.3 billion a year. In its Statement, the Ministry of Justice disagrees, stating that the Commission’s proposals will impose burdens that “far outweigh” the benefits. At a time of great economic upheaval across Europe, the Ministry of Justice asserts that the regulatory burden should be reduced, not increased, to stimulate growth, and that it is “difficult therefore to justify the extra red-tape and tick box compliance that the proposals represent.” The Ministry of Justice also notes that “[t]he UK Government is seriously concerned about the potential economic impact of the proposed data protection Regulation.”

On November 13-15, 2012, delegates at the IAPP Europe Data Protection Congress in Brussels were given insight into how discussions with key policymakers are progressing. As European Parliament rapporteur and Member of the European Parliament Jan Philipp Albrecht aims to finalize the reform of the EU Data Protection Directive by the end of the current European Parliament’s mandate in 2014, this ambitious goal faces numerous hurdles.

In partnership with SC Magazine, we are pleased to announce that on November 22-23, 2012, SC Magazine will host its 2012 Virtual Summit “Tackling the Big 3: Clouds, Consumerisation, Cybercrime,” featuring Hunton & Williams partner Bridget Treacy. Following a year of sharp increases in data breaches and regulatory fines, the SC Summit will explore and focus on cybercrime, mobile devices and cloud security – three key priorities for 2013. Bridget Treacy and Paul Swarbrick, Chief Information Security Officer and Head of Cybersecurity for National Air Traffic Services, will open the Summit with their keynote presentation, “Where’s the Danger? From Cybercrime to Consumerisation to the Cloud, Today’s Most Potent Threats Unmasked.” Paul will discuss the data security issues that keep him awake at night and Bridget will offer vital, current perspective on the ever-changing legal landscape.

Reporting from Washington, D.C., Hunton & Williams partner Frederick Eames writes:

Elections have consequences. What are the consequences of the 2012 election on U.S. federal privacy, data security and breach notice legislation? We outline some key developments in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and explain how these developments might affect legislative priorities and prospects for the 113th Congress beginning in 2013.

On October 26, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission finalized its settlement agreements with two businesses that allegedly exposed thousands of customers’ sensitive personal information by allowing peer-to-peer (“P2P”) file-sharing software to be installed on the companies’ computer systems. The approved settlements prohibit Georgia auto dealer Franklin’s Budget Car Sales, Inc. (“Franklin”) and Utah-based debt collector EPN, Inc. (“EPN”) from misrepresenting their privacy and information security practices and requires both businesses to establish and maintain a comprehensive information security program subject to biennial, independent, third-party audits for 20 years. The settlement with Franklin also bars the company from violating the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) Safeguards Rule and Privacy Rule.

On October 29, 2012, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) served private sector financial services company The Prudential Assurance Company Limited (“Prudential”) with a monetary penalty of £50,000 in connection with a serious violation of the Data Protection Act 1998 (“DPA”). The violation concerned a mix-up involving Prudential customer details. In March 2007, the customer records of two individuals who shared the same first name, surname and date of birth were mistakenly merged into a single customer record. Over the course of the following three years, mortgage and pension policy information relating to each customer was routinely sent to the wrong individual until Prudential took steps to separate the two customers’ records in September 2010.

On October 23, 2012, just two weeks after issuing a series of reports highlighting the UK Information Commissioner’s Office’s (“ICO’s”) concerns regarding data protection compliance within the public sector, the ICO has imposed a monetary penalty of £120,000 and issued an enforcement notice against Stoke-on-Trent City Council (“Stoke Council”) in relation to a serious data breach. The breach involved the transmission of sensitive personal information related to a child protection case by email in an unmarked and unprotected manner to the incorrect email address.