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
Cyberattacks are on the rise—so much that we seem to hear about a high-profile hack more often than it probably rains in most parts of California. Although reputational damage from a cyberattack can be scarring, a recent U.S....more
Part of Bradley Arant’s Privacy and Information Security Team’s seven-part Data Breach Toolkit Webinar Series, the “Data Breach Response Planning: Laying the Right Foundation” webinar, led by Paige Boshell and Amy Leopard,...more
In Part I, we discussed the Third Circuit's finding that the "unfair" prong of the FTC Act does not require the agency to provide specific cybersecurity standards with "ascertainable certainty" to which companies must...more
As a privacy litigator, I could not help but observe an apparent contradiction in the way the Third Circuit allowed the FTC to pursue Wyndham Hotels for cybersecurity breaches under the FTC Act, but Judge Berman (SDNY)...more
In a resounding win for the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the Third Circuit unanimously affirmed the FTC’s power to regulate cybersecurity under the unfairness prong of the FTC Act (15 U.S.C. §45). FTC v. Wyndham, Case,...more
Third Circuit Affirms FTC’s Authority Over Cybersecurity: In the Wyndham case, the Third Circuit affirmed that the FTC has the authority to regulate cybersecurity under Section 5 of the FTC Act, and that the language of...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can regulate cybersecurity policies and procedures as “unfair” acts or practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has ruled in a very important...more
Banks and other companies subject to the CFPB’s jurisdiction face the possibility that the CFPB could begin using its authority under Sections 1031 and 1036 of the Dodd-Frank Act (which proscribe unfair, deceptive or abusive...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
In a strongly worded opinion, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday slammed Wyndham Worldwide Corporation’s arguments that the FTC did not have jurisdiction to enforce the security practices of businesses following a...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
Over one year ago, our colleague Chris Hart argued that the District of New Jersey court’s decision in FTC v. Wyndham Worldwide Corp. et. al., No. 13-1887-ES, “point[ed] to the possibility that the FTC has potentially broad...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
On Monday, the Third Circuit issued a highly anticipated opinion affirming the Federal Trade Commission's authority to regulate "unfair" cybersecurity practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act. In allowing the data breach...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
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit announced that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has the authority to scrutinize a business’s data security protocol -- and to file a complaint if the FTC finds that protocol...more
Shortly after the massive 2013 Target data breach, shareholders filed four derivative lawsuits against the company’s directors and some of its officers (13 CARE 624, 3/20/15). The shareholders alleged that the defendants had...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
In response to increasing pressure to update its existing disclosure guidance regarding cybersecurity risks and cyber-incidents, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) is widely expected to overhaul its...more
In 2012, the FTC sued Wyndham and three of its subsidiaries after hackers broke into Wyndham’s corporate computer system as well as systems at several of its individual hotels from 2008 to early 2010, resulting in exposure of...more
Data security breaches—no industry is immune. These hackers can phish, spoof, skim, packet sniff, and key log their way into your system. Once a hacker successfully hacks into a corporation’s server, the breach will go...more
Getting hacked by Russian hackers three times in two years has turned out to be only half of the problem for Wyndham Worldwide Corporation. The Federal Trade Commission, in a broad interpretation of the authority granted to...more