On Friday, December 4, 2020, President Trump signed the bipartisan Internet of Things (“IoT”) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020 into law.  The IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act empowers the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) to create cybersecurity standards for internet-connected devices purchased and used by federal agencies.  For more information on the law, please see our blog post here.

After the President signed the bill, one of the sponsors of the bill, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), commented on Twitter that: “After years of bipartisan work, tonight, my bill, The Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act, is now the law of the land.  As the number of IoT devices in use continues to grow, we must ensure safeguards are in place to defend these devices from cyber threats.”

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Photo of Jayne Ponder Jayne Ponder

Jayne Ponder counsels national and multinational companies across industries on data privacy, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things.

In particular, Jayne advises clients on compliance with federal, state, and global privacy frameworks, and counsels clients on navigating the…

Jayne Ponder counsels national and multinational companies across industries on data privacy, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things.

In particular, Jayne advises clients on compliance with federal, state, and global privacy frameworks, and counsels clients on navigating the rapidly evolving legal landscape. Her practice includes partnering with clients on the design of new products and services, drafting and negotiating privacy terms with vendors and third parties, developing privacy notices and consent forms, and helping clients design governance programs for the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things technologies.

Jayne routinely represents clients in privacy and consumer protection enforcement actions brought by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general, including related to data privacy and advertising topics. She also helps clients articulate their perspectives through the rulemaking processes led by state regulators and privacy agencies.

As part of her practice, Jayne advises companies on cybersecurity incident preparedness and response, including by drafting, revising, and testing incident response plans, conducting cybersecurity gap assessments, engaging vendors, and analyzing obligations under breach notification laws following an incident.

Photo of Jennifer Johnson Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer Johnson is a partner specializing in communications, media and technology matters who serves as Co-Chair of Covington’s Technology Industry Group and its global and multi-disciplinary Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) Groups. She represents and advises technology companies, content distributors…

Jennifer Johnson is a partner specializing in communications, media and technology matters who serves as Co-Chair of Covington’s Technology Industry Group and its global and multi-disciplinary Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) Groups. She represents and advises technology companies, content distributors, television companies, trade associations, and other entities on a wide range of media and technology matters. Jennifer has almost three decades of experience advising clients in the communications, media and technology sectors, and has held leadership roles in these practices for almost twenty years. On technology issues, she collaborates with Covington’s global, multi-disciplinary team to assist companies navigating the complex statutory and regulatory constructs surrounding this evolving area, including product counseling and technology transactions related to connected and autonomous vehicles, internet connected devices, artificial intelligence, smart ecosystems, and other IoT products and services. Jennifer serves on the Board of Editors of The Journal of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Law.

Jennifer assists clients in developing and pursuing strategic business and policy objectives before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress and through transactions and other business arrangements. She regularly advises clients on FCC regulatory matters and advocates frequently before the FCC. Jennifer has extensive experience negotiating content acquisition and distribution agreements for media and technology companies, including program distribution agreements, network affiliation and other program rights agreements, and agreements providing for the aggregation and distribution of content on over-the-top app-based platforms. She also assists investment clients in structuring, evaluating, and pursuing potential investments in media and technology companies.

Photo of Micaela McMurrough Micaela McMurrough

Micaela McMurrough serves as co-chair of Covington’s global and multi-disciplinary Technology Group, as co-chair of the Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) initiative. In her practice, she has represented clients in high-stakes antitrust, patent, trade secrets, contract, and securities litigation, and other…

Micaela McMurrough serves as co-chair of Covington’s global and multi-disciplinary Technology Group, as co-chair of the Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) initiative. In her practice, she has represented clients in high-stakes antitrust, patent, trade secrets, contract, and securities litigation, and other complex commercial litigation matters, and she regularly represents and advises domestic and international clients on cybersecurity and data privacy issues, including cybersecurity investigations and cyber incident response. Micaela has advised clients on data breaches and other network intrusions, conducted cybersecurity investigations, and advised clients regarding evolving cybersecurity regulations and cybersecurity norms in the context of international law.

In 2016, Micaela was selected as one of thirteen Madison Policy Forum Military-Business Cybersecurity Fellows. She regularly engages with government, military, and business leaders in the cybersecurity industry in an effort to develop national strategies for complex cyber issues and policy challenges. Micaela previously served as a United States Presidential Leadership Scholar, principally responsible for launching a program to familiarize federal judges with various aspects of the U.S. national security structure and national intelligence community.

Prior to her legal career, Micaela served in the Military Intelligence Branch of the United States Army. She served as Intelligence Officer of a 1,200-member maneuver unit conducting combat operations in Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star.