In prepared remarks on July 28, 2021, Chair Gary Gensler of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) set forth key considerations for the staff to address in the SEC’s forthcoming rulemaking proposal on mandatory climate...more
In this month’s edition of our Privacy & Cybersecurity Update, we examine cybersecurity guidance issued by New York state, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s new “Bad Practices” website outlining what...more
8/3/2021
/ Best Practices ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
COPPA ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
European Data Protection Board (EDPB) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
NYDFS ,
Popular ,
Ransomware
In this month’s edition of our Privacy & Cybersecurity Update, we examine the European Commission’s new Standard Contractual Clauses and the European Data Protection Board’s new recommendations on international data flows. We...more
7/9/2021
/ Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
European Commission ,
European Data Protection Board (EDPB) ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
International Data Transfers ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Schrems I & Schrems II ,
State Privacy Laws
Companies are increasingly providing disclosure about their current efforts and future commitments on environmental and social (E&S) matters. The percentage of S&P 500 companies publishing sustainability or corporate social...more
As calendar year-end companies received shareholder proposals for their 2021 annual meetings, they faced a variety of uncertainties and challenges, including navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the racial inequities...more
During his Senate confirmation hearing for chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler said he would adhere to the U.S. Supreme Court’s view of materiality: Information is material (and should...more
In this month's edition of our Privacy & Cybersecurity Update, we examine the Second Circuit's ruling allowing standing for increased risk of identity theft following a data breach, the European Commission's recently released...more
5/3/2021
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
IN Supreme Court ,
Ransomware
I. The Current State of Play -
The subjects falling within the purview of U.S. public company board of director oversight have grown to encompass virtually any subject that an investor, stakeholder or other party raises...more
In this month’s edition, we examine California’s new regulations enhancing opt-out rights in the California Consumer Privacy Act and the state's selections for the California Privacy Protection Agency’s inaugural board. We...more
4/2/2021
/ California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
FDCPA ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) ,
Opt-Outs ,
Personal Data ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
State Attorneys General ,
State Privacy Laws ,
TCPA
When finalizing proxy materials for annual shareholder meetings, companies should consider the following Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules and related guidance, as well as stock exchange listing standards and...more
On February 26, 2021, Vice Chancellor Kathaleen S. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery permanently enjoined a stockholder rights plan — or so-called “poison pill” — with a 5% trigger that The Williams Companies, Inc....more
In this month's edition of our Privacy & Cybersecurity Update, we examine the New York Department of Financial Services' issuance of the first-ever cyber insurance risk guidance framework, the Eleventh Circuit's ruling...more
In a tumultuous year, one of the key clear messages to emerge from 2020 was that environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns are here to stay. As mentioned in our 31 July 2020 article “ESG in 2020: A Half-Year...more
2/9/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Debt Market ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Flexible Work Arrangements ,
Green Bonds ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Remuneration ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
In this month's edition, we examine the European Commission's Digital Services Act and its potential regulatory impact, the National Institute of Standards and Technology's draft guidance on internet-of-things devices'...more
2/4/2021
/ Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Retention ,
Data Security ,
Digital Services ,
Draft Guidance ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Internet of Things ,
NIST ,
Popular ,
Privacy Policy
The change in administration is expected to bring a governmental and regulatory climate that is vastly more hospitable to calls to facilitate the incorporation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into...more
Proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis recently announced updates to their proxy voting guidelines for the 2021 proxy season. These updates reflect institutional investors’ increased...more
12/14/2020
/ Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Glass Lewis ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
On December 1, 2020, the Nasdaq Stock Market filed a proposal with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to amend its listing standards to encourage greater board diversity and enhanced diversity disclosures for...more
In this month’s edition of our Privacy & Cybersecurity Update, we examine the passage of the ballot initiative that enacts the California Privacy Rights Act, the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office’s final guidance on data...more
12/2/2020
/ Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
International Data Transfers ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Schrems I & Schrems II ,
Standard Contractual Clauses
In this month's edition of our Privacy & Cybersecurity Update, we examine the U.S. Treasury's advisories regarding the role of financial intermediaries in ransomware payments, a ruling by the Israeli data protection authority...more
11/3/2020
/ British Airways ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Insurance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
EU ,
EU-US Privacy Shield ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
International Data Transfers ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
State Attorneys General ,
Surveillance
In this month's edition, we examine the Swiss data protection authority's comments on the validity of its data-sharing framework with the U.S., as well as the European Data Protection Board's guidance on joint controllers and...more
10/10/2020
/ Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Class Action ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Collection ,
Data Protection ,
Data Protection Authority ,
European Data Protection Board (EDPB) ,
International Data Transfers ,
Joint Control ,
Metadata ,
National Security Agency (NSA) ,
New Guidance ,
Outer Space ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Privacy Laws ,
Social Media ,
Swiss Privacy Shield ,
Trump Administration
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted U.S. public companies in myriad ways. The fact that the traditional proxy season — the period from April through June when a substantial number of public companies hold their annual meetings...more
On September 23, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to the procedural requirements and resubmission thresholds relating to shareholder proposals submitted for inclusion in company proxy...more
The recently published “The Friedman Essay and the True Purpose of the Business Corporation” defends a view of stakeholder governance that reflects the following two basic flaws...more
In October 2019, for the third consecutive year, the Staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued guidance concerning companies’ ability to exclude...more
In this month's edition of our Privacy & Cybersecurity Update, we examine the National Institute of Standards and Technology's four principles of the "explainability" of artificial intelligence and the U.K. Information...more
9/1/2020
/ Anti-Drone Technology ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ,
Compliance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drones ,
EU-US Privacy Shield ,
FCC ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
International Data Transfers ,
NIST ,
Office of Administrative Law ,
Personal Information ,
Popular ,
Privacy Laws ,
Risk Mitigation ,
UK ,
UK ICO