Corruption, Crime & Compliance: Electronics Communications Risks in The Era of Ephemeral Messaging
Compliant Business Communications Through Messaging Apps
M365 in 5 – Part 5: Teams Chats – Modern communications
Since 2019, the number of users on Microsoft Teams has risen 1500%, from a modest 20 million users in the pre-pandemic year (2019) to over 320 million users in 2024. Microsoft's collaboration platform is now the default...more
The SEC's wave of enforcement actions concerning "off-channel" communications did not abate in 2024. In total, the SEC announced more than 70 firms agreed to pay more than a half-billion dollars combined to settle charges for...more
On December 11, 2024, the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA) hosted “Views from the Top,” featuring the following government officials from the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, and FTC discussing current and future enforcement...more
After a three-year crackdown on the use of “ephemeral” electronic messaging platforms by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under Chair Gary Gensler, early indications are that the incoming Trump...more
Organizations whose mantra is “We just never delete anything” (i.e., organizations simply retaining all information indefinitely) are now facing headwinds, especially when the information contains personal information. As our...more
Who may be interested: Registered Investment Advisers, Registered Investment Companies, Compliance Staff - Quick Take: The SEC recently announced a number of additional enforcement actions relating to recordkeeping...more
Each month, we publish a roundup of the most important SEC enforcement developments for busy in-house lawyers and compliance professionals. This month, we examine: •The SEC’s case against crypto firm Kraken is permitted to...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) brought more actions targeting regulated entities for recordkeeping violations related to employees using noncompany communications platforms, and both the SEC and the U.S....more
On August 14, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced another series of settlements regarding “off-channel communications.”1 As part of its Off-Channel Communications Initiative,2 the SEC settled...more
On August 14, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced yet another wave of enforcement actions related to widespread “off-channel communications,” charging an additional 26 firms with failing to maintain...more
U.S. Court Axes Most of SEC's SolarWinds Data Breach Suit - The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York recently dismissed much of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) suit against...more
As we reach the midpoint of 2024, the SEC has maintained its rigorous enforcement stance on the private funds industry, proposing new rules and oversight tools to better identify and investigate market practices. As 2024...more
This RIA Regulatory Review highlights certain key regulatory developments affecting investment advisers....more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has updated their Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs policy with special attention paid to messaging platforms when detecting and investigating potential misconduct and law violations....more
On February 9, 2024 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced charges against 16 registered investment advisers and broker-dealers for pervasive recordkeeping failures related to off-channel...more
On February 9, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced settlements with 16 firms relating to record-keeping violations stemming from off-channel communications totaling $81 million. The 16 firms were five...more
The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") and the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") are updating language in document requests and compulsory process to address companies' increased use of collaboration...more
What U.K. Firms Need to Know - INTRODUCTION - Over the past decade, the use of messaging applications, such as WhatsApp, for business purposes as an alternative to traditional email has grown exponentially. Ease of use...more
This week, SAP SE (SAP), the German-based software company, agreed to pay over $200 million to resolve investigations by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into violations of...more
On November 28–30, 2023, the American Conference Institute’s 40th International Conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), held in Washington, D.C., brought together prosecutors, regulators, corporate...more
I. The Phenomenon of Instant Messaging- Evolution and Proliferation- From basic platforms like IRC and AIM to globally dominant apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram, instant messaging (IM) has witnessed a radical...more
Federal regulators have cracked down on the use of texts messages and messaging platforms for business communications, using their broad authority to root out record retention violations, resulting in significant fines and...more
In light of the DOJ’s most recent guidance on the use of personal devices and third-party messaging applications by corporate personnel, this White Paper addresses issues and challenges that companies are facing in this area...more
Honestly, I have been avoiding this topic since it presents a real morass of risks and potential traps for the unwary company and Chief Compliance and Chief Legal Officers....more
Chat applications are a fact of life now. Many employees in all sectors are using it to communicate and collaborate. The prevalence of this data type means that searching only standard document types such as emails is no...more