PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

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FTC v. AT&T Mobility

FTC v. ATT Mobility

In a very important decision, FTC v. AT&T Mobility (9th Cir. 2018 en banc),  the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit en banc reversed an earlier panel decision that severely limited the FTC’s jurisdiction to protect privacy and data security.  I strongly criticized the panel decision in an previous blog post. The FTC has taken […]

The International Privacy+Security Forum

International Privacy+Security Forum

The International Privacy+Security Forum (February 26-27, 2018 in Washington DC) is next week. The International Forum is a new annual sister event to the Privacy+Security Forum, an annual event held in October at George Washington University in Washington, DC.  The regular Privacy+Security Forum will be in its 4th year in 2018.  This past year, we […]

Cartoon: GDPR’s Scope

Cartoon GDPR Scope

I turned my short GDPR vignette about GDPR’s territorial scope into a cartoon.  The GDPR applies not just to all EU organizations that process personal data.  The GDPR also applies to non-EU established organizations that offer goods and services to EU citizens or that monitor behavior within the EU. The GDPR thus has quite a long […]

Data Security Is Worsening: 2017 Was the Worst Year Yet

Every year, we hear about how climate change is worsening. It seems the same story is happening with data security. Last year was the worst year in recorded data breach history. More than 5,200 breaches were reported in 2017, with more than 7.8 billion records compromised. By comparison, there are 7.6 billion people on Earth, […]

Chart of FTC Commissioners and Chairpersons 1915-2018

The FTC released the above chart showing the history of Commissioners, Chairwomen and Chairman of the FTC from 1915 through the present day. According to the chart, The Federal Trade Commission is composed of five Commissioners, and their terms extend for seven years. The Commissioners are appointed by the President with the advice and consent […]

GDPR Cartoon: Lawful Processing

Cartoon GDPR Lawful Processing

This cartoon focuses on the lawful processing requirement.  Under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation G(DPR), the collection and processing of personal data must be for “specified, explicit and legitimate purposes.”   This is in contrast to the United States where the processing of personal information is permitted unless a law forbids it. Under the GDPR, […]

Key WP29 Documents for GDPR

EU Article 29 Working Party GDPR Guidance

The Article 29 Working Party was created by the EU Data Protection Directive in 1996.  Its purpose is to provide advice, opinions, and guidance about data protection.  The Article 29 Working Party is composed of a representative from each EU member state.  The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will replace the Working Party with the […]

My Privacy and Security Scholarship in 2017

Scholarship about Privacy and Security

In this post, I provide a brief overview of my scholarship last year. Risk and Anxiety: A Theory of Data Breach Harms  I co-authored  Risk and Anxiety: A Theory of Data Breach Harms with Professor Daniel Keats Citron.  The piece is forthcoming in Texas Law Review this year.  Even though there continues to be a steady […]

Cartoon on GDPR Vendor Management

Cartoon GDPR Vendor Management TeachPrivacy GDPR Training

  This cartoon depicts the challenges of complying with GDPR’s requirements for vendor management.   Under the GDPR, there are serious responsibilities when using a vendor to process personal data.  Broadly, there are three things that data controllers must do: 1. Data controllers must perform due diligence in selecting vendors and that are complaint with GDPR. […]