Following the Guardian’s recent exposé on Whisper’s consumer-privacy practices, alleging that the social-media app that supposedly allows people “to anonymously share [their] thoughts with the world . . . in a community built around trust and honesty,” in fact tracks the geolocation of users who opted out of such data collection, Chairman of the Senate … Continue Reading
On October 20, 2014, a bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and Ranking Member John Thune (R-S.D.), requesting that the Committee schedule a “general oversight and information-gathering hearing” on digitally connected technologies before the end of 2014. The letter, penned by … Continue Reading
On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on “Protecting Personal Consumer Information from Cyber Attacks and Data Breaches.” With recent high-profile breaches, and White House officials just this week telling industry executives that federal authorities notified more than 3,000 companies of cyber attacks last year, data security continues to attract the attention of … Continue Reading
Continuing a spate of recent legislative activity, the Senate Commerce Committee is bringing the hot topic of data breach back to the Hill. This Wednesday, the Commerce Committee will hold a hearing entitled, “Protecting Personal Consumer Information from Cyber Attacks and Data Breaches.” According to the Committee, recent data breaches at Target, Neiman Marcus, White … Continue Reading
Last Wednesday, Senators John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) and Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the Data Broker Accountability and Transparency Act, which primarily would require greater transparency from data brokers about consumer information they collect and sell. At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing held on the data broker industry in December, Rockefeller expressed concern that data … Continue Reading
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing entitled, “What Information Do Data Brokers Have on Consumers, and How Do They Use It?” Committee members expressed interest in bringing about greater transparency to what information is collected by data brokers and how it is used at the hearing, which consisted … Continue Reading
Tomorrow the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a hearing entitled, “What Information Do Data Brokers Have on Consumers, and How Do They Use It?” According to Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), the Committee will “examine the data broker industry and how industry practices may impact consumers.” The following witnesses … Continue Reading
In advanced of a July 25 Senate Commerce Committee hearing on “The Partnership Between NIST and the Private Sector: Improving Cybersecurity,” Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Ranking Member John Thune (R-SD) introduced the “Cybersecurity Act of 2013” (S. 1353). The bill avoids controversial topics such as information sharing and regulation of critical infrastructure cybersecurity and … Continue Reading
By Emily Borgen Legislation was reintroduced in the Senate last week that would allow Internet users to opt out of certain forms of online tracking. The bill [PDF] was previously introduced in 2011. The “Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2013,” introduced on February 27 by Senators Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Blumenthal (D-Conn.), would require the Federal Trade Commission … Continue Reading
In the wake of the Senate’s failure to pass comprehensive cybersecurity legislation in August and amid continued discussion about the possibility of a cybersecurity executive order, Senator Jay Rockefeller has sought information directly from Fortune 500 companies. Senator Rockefeller has urged President Obama to issue a cybersecurity executive order, but in a letter sent to … Continue Reading
On July 19, 2012, Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Tom Carper (D-DE) introduced a revised version of the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 (“CSA2012”), which they initially introduced in February. The revision includes elements drawn from efforts by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) to … Continue Reading
Following up on its “Face Facts” workshop that brought together a variety of stakeholders to discuss the privacy issues relating to commercial uses of facial recognition technology, the FTC has announced that it is seeking public comment on the issues raised at the workshop. According to the Commission, these issues include: What are the current … Continue Reading
Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, is still working to reach consensus on the data security bill that he and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) introduced in June. A scheduled markup was canceled in September, and the committee decided not to consider the bill at yesterday’s executive session. Nonetheless, a spokesman for … Continue Reading
Last month, as we previously reported, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it will host a December workshop to explore potential privacy and security implications raised by the increasing use of facial recognition technology. Yesterday, Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee sent a letter to the FTC commending … Continue Reading
Yesterday, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance issued a guidance document regarding public companies’ disclosure obligations relating to cybersecurity risks and breaches. The guidance responds to a request by Sen. Jay Rockefeller that the SEC clarify its position on this increasingly important issue. The Division noted that as companies have turned to digital technologies to … Continue Reading
For the fifth consecutive session of Congress, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has introduced legislation that would establish a federal data breach notification standard. Sen. Feinstein’s legislation — the Data Breach Notification Act of 2011 (S. 1408) — is one of a number of breach notice proposals circulating on Capitol Hill that would preempt state breach … Continue Reading
By David Fagan and Josephine Liu The Obama Administration today sent Congress its long-awaited legislative proposal for improving U.S. cybersecurity. The proposal is in the form of individual legislative amendments tackling various issues, packaged together as a comprehensive legislative framework. As we previously discussed, cybersecurity is a subject of interest in both chambers of Congress. … Continue Reading
This is another big week for privacy. On Monday, Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller introduced the Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011, which we posted about here. And yesterday, the newly created Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law held its first hearing. The hearing focused on mobile privacy issues, but also touched on other … Continue Reading
On May 9, 2011, Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, introduced the Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011. The bill tasks the Federal Trade Commission with creating and implementing a do-not-track (“DNT”) mechanism for users who do not want to have personal information collected by providers of … Continue Reading
Yesterday, Senator Jay Rockefeller announced that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, which he chairs, will hold a hearing on cybersecurity issues on March 29. This is not a new issue for Senator Rockefeller or the Senate Commerce Committee, which approved cybersecurity legislation during the 111th Congress. The Senate Homeland Security Committee had its … Continue Reading
