Virginia has just become the second U.S. state to enact a comprehensive privacy protection law. After passage by overwhelming majorities in both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act[1] (“VCDPA”) was signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam on March 2. While lawmakers in several other states like New…
The European Court of Justice’s recent move to strike down the US-EU privacy shield agreement has upended the bilateral personal data transfer framework and pulled the rug out from under numerous American businesses who work with European customers’ personal data. But although the agreement was invalidated, there remain several steps to take and options to…
Several internet service provider (ISP) industry groups have joined together in bringing suit against the state of Maine in response to its new privacy law, LD 946 “An Act To Protect the Privacy of Online Customer Information,” asserting that the new rules run afoul of their free speech rights and constitute discrimination against their industry.…
Encryption is an essential element in the toolbox of any security professional or records manager. In the event of a data breach, encryption acts as a failsafe to make stolen data unreadable to hackers and prevent them from putting it to nefarious uses. Encryption also plays a key role in our ordinary daily lives. When…
Now that the one-year anniversary of the GDPR implementation date has come and gone, many in the business world are collectively exhaling after a long and arduous period of privacy compliance efforts. But the respite is short-lived: preparations are already underway to handle the new California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which will go into effect…
Reading Time: 4 minutes, 37 seconds The €50 million fine levied last week by the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) against Google for violations of the GDPR has struck the tech industry with a resounding thunderclap, sending shockwaves that are being felt in boardrooms across the globe. As the first significant penalty…
In the last article, we explored potential uses for blockchain technology in records management and information governance. Several startups have pilot projects for blockchain records management software, but none have been brought to market yet. Once blockchain software solutions are available, organizations thinking about a switch to blockchain should carefully consider the ways the software…
In the previous article, we looked at some of the basic features of blockchain technology. While Bitcoin and blockchain have made a splash in the payments space, many investors and futurists also herald blockchain technology’s potential to reshape other business and economic sectors. The value of blockchain’s immutable, uninterruptible, incorruptible framework doesn’t end with payment…
In the past few months, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have dominated headlines and astounded skeptics across the globe. Bitcoin’s dramatic rise during the past year shocked and captivated technology enthusiasts, investors, and regulators alike. Yet while the hype of bitcoin mania now shows signs of fading with its recent fall in price, the technology underpinning…
France’s new Digital Republic Act [1] significantly strengthens protections that control how French businesses use and retain personally identifying data. The law expands the scope and authority of the 1978 French Data Protection Act and brings the country to the foreground of modernizing the legal framework of the information economy ahead of the 2018 implementation of…