Massachusetts

2023 was another busy year in the realm of data event and cybersecurity litigations, with several noteworthy developments in the realm of disputes and regulator activity.  Privacy World has been tracking these developments throughout the year.  Read on for key trends and what to expect going into the 2024.

Growth in Data Events Leads to Accompanying Increase in Claims

The number of reportable data events in the U.S. in 2023 reached an all-time high, surpassing the prior record set in 2021.  At bottom, threat actors continued to target entities across industries, with litigation frequently following disclosure of data events.  On the dispute front, 2023 saw several notable cybersecurity consumer class actions concerning the alleged unauthorized disclosure of sensitive personal information, including healthcare, genetic, and banking information.  Large putative class actions in these areas included, among others, lawsuits against the hospital system HCA Healthcare (estimated 11 million individuals involved in the underlying data event), DNA testing provider 23andMe (estimated 6.9 million individuals involved in the underlying data event), and mortgage business Mr. Cooper (estimated 14.6 million individuals involved in the underlying data event). Continue Reading 2023 Cybersecurity Year In Review

Key Takeaway

A Massachusetts class action claim underscores that institutions of higher education will continue to be targets for cybercriminals – and class action plaintiffs know it.

Background

On January 4, 2023, in Jackson v. Suffolk University, No. 23-cv-10019, Jackson (Plaintiff) filed a proposed class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts against her alma matter, Suffolk University (Suffolk), arising from a data breach affecting thousands of current and former Suffolk students.  
Continue Reading Another Lesson for Higher Education Institutions about the Importance of Cybersecurity Investment

After several days of deliberating, a jury today convicted Uber Technologies Inc.’s (“Uber’s”) former chief security officer (the “Former CSO”) of criminal obstruction and concealing the theft of personal data of fifty million Uber customers and seven million Uber drivers from the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”).

Recall that back in 2016, two hackers stole data…

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.

VIXIO Regulatory Intelligence Quoted CPW’s Kristin Bryan in Recent Article on FTC and CFPB Data Protection and Privacy Legislation…

This week the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (“JPML”) declined to create a multidistrict litigation (“MDL”) from competing class action lawsuits stemming from the same data incident.  Read on to learn more about this particular decision and how it relates to CPW’s prior analysis of other data incident litigation.
Continue Reading JPML Declines to Create MDL for Data Breach Cases