Simone M. Silva-Arrindell, Associate

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, better known as IC3, released its 2018 Internet Crimes Report.  For those unfamiliar with the IC3, it was established by the FBI in May 2000 as a central repository for public complaints of internet-based crimes. Since its inception, IC3 has received more than 4 million complaints. To facilitate law enforcement efforts and promote public awareness, IC3 analyzes the complaints it receives and disseminates information to the public and law enforcement. Among other things, it identifies trending scams, refers scams that do not meet federal law enforcement thresholds to state and local law enforcement, and provides victim services. New in 2018, IC3 created the Recovery Asset Team to help victims of internet-facilitated schemes recover funds and the Victim Specialist-Internet Crime position to provide crisis intervention, needs assessments, and referrals.

This is the second post in our two-part series about DOJ’s revised guidance on its “Best Practices for Victim Response and Reporting Cyber Incidents.”  In the first installment, we looked at DOJ’s recommendations for preparedness.  Today, we turn to the basics of data breach incident response and a list of DOJ’s “don’ts” when dealing with a hacker.

California’s landmark digital privacy law – signed into law late last week – is the most sweeping consumer data protection law in the U.S. The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 or CCPA promises to give consumers unprecedented control over their personal information including the right to know what information companies are collecting about them and how it is used.

In one of the first major tests of the Illinois biometric data privacy law, Facebook is headed to trial this summer over allegations that the social media giant unlawfully collects user data with its photo tagging function. Last week, U.S. District Judge James Donato denied cross motions for summary judgment in a class action pending in Northern California, noting the “multitude of fact disputes in the case.”

On Tuesday, a Senate subcommittee grilled Uber’s Chief Information Security Officer, John Flynn, over a 2016 data breach that affected nearly 57 million drivers and riders. At the hearing, Uber faced backlash from lawmakers for its “morally wrong and legally reprehensible” conduct that “violated not only the law but the norm of what should be expected.”

First in a two-part series.

As we reported last week, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has introduced a bill aimed at protecting New Yorkers from data breaches.

In one of the first federal appellate court rulings following the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Robins v. Spokeo, the Eighth Circuit delivered a pyrrhic victory for customers victimized by a data breach.  In Kuhns v. Scottrade, the Eighth Circuit ruled that, although the plaintiff had established standing to pursue a claim against Scottrade, Inc. resulting from a data breach that occurred in 2013, the customer failed to sufficiently allege that the brokerage firm breached its contractual obligations and affirmed dismissal of the case.

A recently introduced bipartisan bill seeks to provide state and local authorities with additional resources to assist in the fight against cybersecurity threats.  Last month, Senators John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) introduced the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act, which would authorize the Department of Homeland Security to work with non-profit consortia to assist state and local governments with their cybersecurity preparedness and response efforts.  House Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.) introduced a companion bill the same day.