FCC Working Group Issues Report On Cybersecurity Best Practices – The June 2015 issue of the Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal features an article by King & Spalding partner Steven Snyder on a Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) working group’s recently issued Final Report on Cybersecurity Risk Management and Best Practices.  In the article, Mr. Snyder provides an explanation of the report and suggests action that companies in the communications sector should consider in view of the publication.  To read the full article, please click here.

SEC Division Of Investment Management Provides Cybersecurity Guidance – In the June 2015 issue of Wall Street Lawyer, Mr. Snyder analyzes recent cybersecurity guidance issued by the SEC’s Division of Investment Management.  The guidance highlights best practices for registered investment companies and investment advisers so that they can adequately protect confidential data.

OPM Director Steps Down In Wake Of Data Breach – On July 10, 2015, Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”) Director Katherine Archuleta resigned amid controversy involving her handling of a massive federal government computer data breach.  “I conveyed to the president that I believe it is best for me to step aside and allow new leadership that will enable the agency to move beyond the current challenges and allow the employees at OPM to continue their important work,” Archuleta said in a statement.  OPM recently revealed that the breach was vastly larger than they originally thought, affecting some 21.5 million people.  To read our previous coverage of the OPM data breach, please click here. 

White House Encourages Patient Access To Health Records – On July 8, 2015, the Executive Office of the President released a Statement of Administration Policy supporting the medical research provisions in H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act.  According to the statement, the “Administration appreciates the legislation’s support for the President’s Precision Medicine Initiative, which would advance a new model of participant-centered research to accelerate biomedical discoveries and provide clinicians with new tools and therapies tailored to individual patients’ needs.  This will also require enabling patients to access their data and accelerating interoperability between electronic health records.”