connected devices

On June 27, 2023, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached a political agreement on the Data Act (see our previous blog post here), after 18 months of negotiations since the tabling of the Commission’s proposal in February 2022 (see our previous blog post here).  EU lawmakers bridged their differences on a number of topics, including governance matters, territorial scope, protection of trade secrets, and certain defined terms, among others.

The Data Act is a key component of the European strategy for data. Its objective is to remove barriers to the use and re-use of non-personal data, particularly as it relates to data generated by connected products and related services, including virtual assistants. It also seeks to facilitate the ability of customers to switch between providers of data processing services.

We’ve outlined below some key aspects of the new legislation.Continue Reading European Parliament and Council Release Agreed Text on Data Act

On November 21, 2019, the European Commission’s Expert Group on Liability and New Technologies – New Technologies Formation (“NTF”) published its Report on Liability for Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies.  The Commission tasked the NTF with establishing the extent to which liability frameworks in the EU will continue to operate effectively in relation to emerging digital technologies (including artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and distributed ledger technologies).  This report presents the NTF’s findings and recommendations.
Continue Reading Commission Expert Group Report on Liability for Emerging Digital Technologies

On August 28, 2017, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) publicly released a report regarding consumer privacy issues associated with the rapidly increasing number of cars that are “connected”—i.e., capable of wirelessly monitoring, collecting, and transmitting information about their internal and external environments.  The report examines four key issues: (1) the types of data collected by connected cars and transmitted to selected automakers, and how such automakers use and share such data; (2) the extent to which selected automakers’ privacy policies are in line with established privacy best practices; (3) selected experts’ views on privacy issues related to connected cars; and (4) federal roles and efforts related to consumer privacy and connected cars.

Process

The GAO turned to a variety of resources to explore the four identified issues.  For starters, the GAO conducted a series of interviews with relevant industry associations, organizations that work with consumer privacy issues, and a sample of sixteen automakers (thirteen of which offered connected vehicles) based on their vehicle sales in the U.S.  In addition, the GAO analyzed selected automakers’ privacy policies and compared them to privacy frameworks developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) as well as the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”).  Finally, the GAO consulted relevant sources (e.g., federal statutes, regulations, and reports) and interviewed agency officials, including those from the Department of Transportation (“DOT”), the FTC, and the Department of Commerce.
Continue Reading GAO Releases New Vehicle Data Privacy Report

A bill pending in the California legislature, if passed, would create new obligations for manufacturers of “connected devices.” S.B. 327 (also known as the “Teddy Bear and Toaster Act”) would operate somewhat differently than existing laws, such as the California Online Privacy Protection Act (“CalOPPA”).

Security obligations. Manufacturers of connected devices that sell those…

Cybersecurity vulnerability is becoming an increasing concern as medical devices are becoming more connected to the Internet, hospital networks, and other medical devices. As we previously reported, FDA has increasingly focused on promoting cybersecurity, recognizing that compromised medical devices can pose a risk to patient health and safety and to the confidentiality of personal medical information. In addition, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently provided a draft practice guide for securing health records maintained on mobile devices.
Continue Reading Cybersecurity Risks with Connected Devices

As the FTC continues to explore the Internet of Things (“IoT”) and IoT devices, today the agency announced that it will host a workshop in November on the topic of cross-device tracking.  Recognizing that today’s typical consumer daily uses a variety of connected devices while simultaneously interacting with numerous platforms, software applications, service providers, and…