Data Points: Privacy & Data Security Blog

For more background on the Washington Privacy Act, see: Washington State Legislature Takes Another Shot At a Consumer Data Privacy Law (DataPoints, 1/22/2020)

Senate Bill 6281, the Washington Privacy Act, passed out of the Senate on February 14 and moved to the House of Representatives where it is expected to run up against some skepticism and questions. 

The bill was drafted to help bring Washington state more in line with California’s and the EU’s data privacy regulation efforts, in the absence of comprehensive privacy regulation at the federal level.  The Act places ...

Following an unsuccessful attempt last year at passing a comprehensive data privacy bill, the Washington State Legislature is hoping the second time’s the charm. Senate Bill 6281, this session’s updated version of The Washington Privacy Act, is based on the best practices taken from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) which went into effect on January 1 of this year. Although last year’s effort fizzled in Washington’s House of Representatives after passing the Senate 46-1, SB 6281 has been ...

Now that the cameras have gone, the booster cushion has been removed from the witness chair, and Mark Zuckerberg is comfortably back in in Palo Alto, having survived his marathon two-days of testimony in front of a somewhat confused Congress, what’s next? 

Regulations  

Following the revelations that a political marketing firm, Cambridge Analytica, improperly obtained personal information from approximately 87 million Facebook user profiles (including even Mark Zuckerberg’s!), Congress has more support than ever to regulate Facebook and other social media tech.  On his ...

By Leslie Pedernales

A professional football team clinches their playoff spot in an upset game, then hits the locker room for a celebration and an inspirational pep talk from their winning coach.  The perfect application for livestreaming, one might think.  Opening a window into this mysterious world for all the rest of us to see and experience.  Not so fast.

After the Pittsburgh Steelers upset the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC playoff game on January 15, Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown invited the world into the Steelers’ locker room to join in the celebration through Facebook ...

By Leslie Pedernales

The upcoming presidential election between two larger-than-life characters, each capable of stirring intense emotional reactions from both sides, is sure to produce some spirited debate around the water cooler this fall.  Many employees mistakenly assume that their expression of political speech (including nonverbal expression such as buttons or signs) is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  However, it might surprise you to learn that employers generally have the right to regulate employee political speech – the level of that ...