Monthly Archives: August 2017

General Data Protection Regulation: What It Means For US Healthcare/Life Science Companies (Part Two)

This is the second post in a three-part series designed to provide a summary of some of the GDPR features that are likely to have the most substantial impact on healthcare/life science related businesses. (Links for Part One and Part Three

New General Features of the GDPR

Some of the GDPR general features may be of particular interest for companies in the healthcare/life science sectors.… More

General Data Protection Regulation: What It Means For US Healthcare/Life Science Companies (Part One)

This is the first post in a three-part series designed to provide a summary of some of the GDPR features that are likely to have the most substantial impact on healthcare/life science related businesses. (Links for Part Two and Part Three)

The clock is ticking: on May 25, 2018, in less than a year from now, the General Data Protection Regulation (“the GDPR”) will apply in all Member States of the European Union (“EU”) and will replace the Directive 95/46/CE (“the Directive”).… More

Webinar on September 13: Privacy and Data Security for the Generalist In-House Counsel

Privacy and data security have rocketed to the top of the list of concerns for all corporate boards. Whether you are a technology company, a biotech, or a traditional widget maker, your company has confidential information about its products, customers and employees. And that information has to be protected as a matter of law, both by statute and under contracts with your customers and suppliers.… More

Mistake in Your Credit Report? The Latest Spokeo Decision Suggests You May Have A Case.

In the 9th Circuit’s August 15, 2017 decision in Robins v. Spokeo, the latest in the long-running legal debate about when a consumer cause of action exists for a data breach, the 9th Circuit has declared that inaccuracies in a published credit report may sometimes constitute a “concrete injury” sufficient to confer Article III standing. This is a significant win for consumer protection advocates,… More

Can Procurement Law Slow Down Data Breach Response? A Closer Look.

What happens when state and local governments respond to significant data breaches?  They often turn to the private sector for breach response capabilities in order to mitigate damages.  Speed is the name of the game, and state and local governments often move with alacrity to save face.

But what about procurement laws?

The rush to hire sophisticated private entities to support data breach response efforts is in tension with statutory competitive bidding mandates. … More

The Man Who Wrote Those Password Rules Has a New Tip: N3v$r M1^d!

Great article in the Wall Street Journal this week (paywall), on the history of passwords and password management. I did not know that the seeming obsession with passwords featuring a strange mixing of capital letters, numbers and !@#$%^&*()+ derives from a 2003 National Institute of Standards and Technology report, “NIST Special Publication 800-63. Appendix A.” This report advised computer users to protect their accounts by using the now familiar mélange of characters,… More

Top U.S. Cyber Official Resigns

Christopher Painter, the State Department’s “Coordinator for Cyber Issues” stepped down on July 28, 2017. Described as the Department’s “weary soldier in America’s cyber war,” Painter traveled the globe advancing U.S. interests in cyberspace. His efforts included coordinating diplomacy in cyber security matters and launching “cyber dialogues” with foreign powers. The aim of those dialogues: reducing cyber threats ranging from D-DOS attacks to the theft of intellectual property.… More