CCPA

On May 18, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) unanimously adopted its Policy Statement on Biometric Information and Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (“Policy Statement”), addressing the increasing use of consumers’ biometric information and the marketing of technologies that use or claim to use it—regarding which the FTC raises significant concerns. In the areas of privacy, data security, and the potential for bias and discrimination. In addition, the Policy Statement also provides a detailed discussion of the established legal requirements applicable to the use of biometrics, particularly those relating to Section 5 of the FTC Act, and lists examples of the practices the agency will scrutinize in determining whether companies’ use of biometric technologies run afoul of Section 5.
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Continue Reading FTC’s New Policy Statement on Biometric Information Provides Clear Warning to Companies on Increased Scrutiny of Facial Recognition & Related Biometrics Practices

On April 13, 2023, the Indiana legislature passed Senate Bill 5 (“SB 5”)—more commonly referred to as the Indiana Consumer Data Privacy Act or “Indiana CDPA”—sending the legislation to Governor Eric Holcomb’s desk for signature. Governor Holcomb has until Thursday, April 20 to act on the bill. The Indiana CDPA will become law either if the governor signs the bill or takes no action before the April 20 deadline.
Continue Reading Follow the Leader: Indiana Becomes Latest State to Enact Consumer Privacy Statute

In case you missed it, below are recent posts from Privacy World covering the latest developments on data privacy, security and innovation. Please reach out to the authors if you are interested in additional information.

UNSUBSCRIBED! — FTC Proposes Substantial Amendments to the Negative Option Rule to Cover all Autorenewals, including B2B Services, and Add…

2022 saw cases continue to be filed under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), although perhaps reflecting the increasing reliance of the plaintiffs’ bar on negligence and tort-based privacy claims concerning a defendant’s alleged failure to maintain “reasonable security,” the number of cases of CCPA based claims declined. Read on for Privacy World’s highlights of…

In case you missed it, below are recent posts from Consumer Privacy World covering the latest developments on data privacy, security and innovation. Please reach out to the authors if you are interested in additional information.

Recent BIPA Opinion Illustrates Continued Uncertainty Underlying Core Issues in Biometric Privacy Class Action Litigation | Consumer Privacy World…

A federal court recently sanctioned defendants for spoilation of evidence in litigation. In doing so, the Court rejected the Defendant’s argument that they changed their data settings in good faith to align with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) and the International Standard of Operation Compliance (“ISO”). 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178233 (N.D. Ohio Sep. 29, 2022). Read on to learn more.
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Continue Reading Federal Court Sanctions Company for Spoilation of Evidence Over Arguments Data Settings Changed to Comply with CCPA and ISO Requirements

Is an online-only business a place of public accommodation under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)? Yes, claimed the plaintiff in Martinez v. Cot’n Wash, Inc., 81 Cal. App. 5th 1026 (Cal. App. August 1, 2022). The Martinez plaintiff, who was permanently blind and used screen readers (i.e., software that audibly reads website content), alleged that “well-established industry standards” require websites to allow blind or visually impaired people access to websites, which one of the defendant’s websites—an e-commerce site—did not. No, said the California Court of Appeal, disagreeing with the plaintiff.
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Continue Reading Online-Only Businesses Are Not a Place of Public Accommodation: California State Appellate Court Follows the Ninth Circuit in ADA-Related Ruling

In case you missed it, below are recent posts from Consumer Privacy World covering the latest developments on data privacy, security and innovation. Please reach out to the authors if you are interested in additional information.

2023 State Privacy Laws: How to Assess and Ensure Readiness by Year-end

Malcolm Dowden and Niloufar Massachi Discuss Vendor…

We head into the fourth quarter on the heels of the first public California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) civil penalty, while also looking ahead to the new state privacy laws in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah and the significant updates that the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) will bring to the CCPA. Considering that regulations…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released a staff report, Bringing Dark Patterns to Light, which discusses misleading and manipulative design practices—dark patterns—in web and mobile apps. These design choices take advantage of users’ cognitive biases to influence their behavior and prevent them from making fully informed decisions about their data and purchases. Dark patterns are employed to get users to surrender their personal information, unwittingly sign up for services, and purchase products they do not intend to purchase. The consequences of dark patterns have been increasingly noticed in the regulatory and legislative sphere, both in the United States and Europe. 
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Continue Reading Dark Patterns under the Regulatory Spotlight Again