PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

Notable Privacy and Security Books 2016

Here are some notable books on privacy and security from 2016. To see a more comprehensive list of nonfiction works about privacy and security, Professor Paul Schwartz and I maintain a resource page on Nonfiction Privacy + Security Books.

When Do Data Breaches Cause Harm?

  Harm has become the key issue in data breach cases. During the past 20 years, there have been hundreds of lawsuits over data breaches. In many cases, the plaintiffs have evidence to establish that reasonable care wasn’t used to protect their data. But the cases have often been dismissed because courts conclude that the […]

Black Mirror: A Powerful Look at the Dark Side of Privacy, Security, and Technology

In a series of posts, I have written about some of my favorite media regarding privacy and security: TV shows, movies, and novels. When I wrote about TV shows, a number of people recommended the show Black Mirror. I have now seen all the episodes thus far, and I am happily adding it to the […]

Cartoon on HIPAA Training

This cartoon depicts the way many people perceive HIPAA training.  But it doesn’t have to be this way. When most people hear HIPAA training they prepare themselves to slog through a boring lecture filled with tedious legalese.   Many have been subjected to hours of training that is overly technical, not useful for their jobs and not even […]

HIPAA Cartoon on Social Media Use

Here’s a cartoon on HIPAA and social media use to jump start your week.  You can’t think enough about HIPAA these days.  HIPAA audits are back, and OCR is having a vigorous enforcement year this year, something I plan to post about soon.

Phishing Cartoon: Why Do Phishers Keep Sending Obvious Scam Emails?

Why do phishers waste their time with such obvious phishing scams when they can do so much better? One possible answer: They don’t have to do better.  They send out so many emails that they only need a very low percentage of people to click.  And people always do.  In fact, if phishing emails became […]

Clearing Up the Fog of Cloud Service Agreements

Contracting with cloud service providers has long been a world shrouded in fog. Across various organizations, cloud service agreements (CSAs) are all over the place, and often many people entering into these contracts have no idea what provisions they should have to protect their data.

A Gaping Hole in Consumer Privacy Protection Law

Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued a decision with profound implications for consumer privacy protection law. In FTC v. AT&T Mobility (9th Cir. Aug. 29, 2016), a 3-judge panel of the 9th Circuit held that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lacks jurisdiction over companies that engage in common carrier activity. […]

GDPR Cartoon: Taking Privacy Seriously

I created this cartoon to illustrate the fact that despite the increasing risk that privacy violations pose to an organization, many organizations are not increasing the funding and resources devoted to privacy.  More work gets thrown onto the shoulders of under-resourced privacy departments. It is time that the C-Suite (upper management) wakes up to the […]