Editor’s note: This is the sixth and last in our end-of-year series. See our previous posts on trade secrets, state regulation and law enforcement, HIPAA compliance, emerging threats, and energy. See you in 2017! ...more
Businesses today have their work cut out for them. Small or large, no organization is immune from cybersecurity threats. Added pressures arise from stepped up government regulatory oversight and enforcement that targets an...more
On the shifting sands of cyber security regulation, it is important to understand the outcome of two recent enforcement cases brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – one against clinical lab services company LabMD,...more
Senior Counsel Peter Swire to Debate European Privacy Activist Max Schrems. The debate, set to take place on January 26 in Brussels, will highlight key differences between certain European and U.S. attitudes towards U.S....more
Both the administrative law judge’s decision in LabMD and the Third Circuit’s recent decision in Wyndham, which we previously blogged about, put the FTC on notice that it cannot assume that in the wake of a security breach,...more
In a surprising development, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation settled a long running dispute last week with the Federal Trade Commission that arose from three data breaches Wyndham suffered between 2008-2010. After an...more
On December 9, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Wyndham Worldwide Corp., Wyndham Hotel Group LLC, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC, and Wyndham Hotel Management, Inc. (“Wyndham”) had agreed to settle FTC...more
Does the Third Circuit’s recent decision in FTC v. Wyndham Worldwide Corp. usher in a new era of enforcement by the FTC and other federal agencies regarding cybersecurity practices? Regardless of the answer, it is important...more
The Third Circuit interlocutory decision in Federal Trade Commission v. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation was widely reported as a big win for the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). But on closer examination, it was a split...more
What makes data privacy law interesting for academics, challenging for lawyers, and frustrating for businesses its shape-shifting structure in the face of rapidly changing technology. The recent change in the invalidation of...more
In the span of two days, mobile device users learned of two data breaches that could compromise their personal data. In one, Experian (a credit reporting agency) reported that it was hacked, potentially putting 15 million...more
In an environment where even the largest and most powerful corporations have fallen victim to data breaches, it can be challenging to fathom how to protect against the sophisticated and ever-evolving threat of cyber attacks....more
Join us for an in-depth webinar presented by litigation attorneys James Ward and Phil Stein on the trending topic of information security and how to protect your company from a data breach. This webinar will address what you...more
In a closely-watched cybersecurity case, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held in Federal Trade Commission v. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (No. 14-3514) that the Federal Trade Commission...more
In a much anticipated decision, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the authority of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce actions against companies who have been subject to a data breach. The FTC sued...more
It’s fair to say that the opinion by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in FTC v. Wyndham was a set-back for Wyndham, but for businesses it may be just the right wake-up call....more
On August 24, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued a precedential opinion in the matter of Federal Trade Commission v. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, et al., No. 14-3514 (3d. Cir., Aug. 24,...more
Companies can be fined by the federal government for failing to properly safeguard consumer data, according to a decision this week by Pennsylvania's federal appellate court....more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit this week affirmed the authority of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) to enforce against companies that lack reasonable cybersecurity practices. Prior to...more
Since at least 2005, the Federal Trade Commission has asserted that it may regulate lax data security practices as an “unfair” business practice under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The Wyndham hotel chain was the first to...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit released its much-anticipated ruling in Federal Trade Commission v. Wyndham Worldwide Corp. on August 24, 2015, unanimously upholding the FTC’s authority to regulate companies’...more
We (and others) often comment on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) increased enforcement activity of data security issues, particularly with the Wyndham and LabMD cases, and the fact that it is enforcing data security...more
Highly regulated industries such as banking and healthcare have been at the forefront with robust data security regulations for a number of years. Regulators are now focusing on other industries as data breach incidents...more
Data security is big news. And so is the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). Put the two together in a crucible of litigation, and it is sure to be a blockbuster. That is what the closely-watched case FTC v. Wyndham, now...more
authoOn March 3, the Third Circuit heard oral argument in FTC v. Wyndham, a case that is being closely followed by the privacy and data security community. Wyndham is challenging the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”)...more