By almost 1.5 million votes, California voters approved Proposition 24, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (“CPRA”). The CPRA amends and expands the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) and is affectionately referred to as “CCPA 2.0.” While the CPRA’s requirements do not take effect until January 1, 2023, the CPRA ushers in
Privacy and Cybersecurity Perspectives
Insights into privacy and cybersecurity developments in business and healthcare
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Latest from Privacy and Cybersecurity Perspectives
FBI Issues Cybersecurity Warning To US Hospitals And Healthcare Providers
Today, the FBI, together with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), put out an alert advising that they have credible information of an imminent cybersecurity threat to US hospitals and healthcare providers. The alert can be found here. Should you have any questions or…
Covid-19 and the Challenges of a Remote Workforce
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues throughout the world, many workplaces have gone virtual. While the advent of technology makes a remote workforce possible, the newly remote workforce brings with it additional challenges to a company’s information technology (“IT”) systems. However, proper policies and procedures that govern the security of IT systems and employees’ use of…
A Reminder That Covered Entities Of All Sizes Need To Comply With HIPAA Security Rule
On March 3, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) signaled to covered entities of all sizes that they need to take their HIPAA obligations seriously. OCR entered into a settlement and corrective action plan with a small physician practice for $100,000 to settle alleged violations of the…
A HIPAA Compliance Program “In Disarray” Leads to OCR Imposing a $2.15 Million Civil Monetary Penalty
Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) imposed a civil monetary penalty (“CMP”), to the tune of $2.15 million, against Jackson Health System (“JHS”). The CMP stemmed from JHS’ numerous HIPAA violations that occurred from 2013 through 2016. …
OCR Fines Dental Practice $10,000 For Social Media Disclosures
There is no doubt that social media has its benefits, especially for medical practices that have come to use it for marketing and advertising. However, risks are lurking. On October 2, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) entered into a $10,000 settlement with a dental practice (the…
100 Days from CCPA, Is Your Business Ready?
We are 100 days away from the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). Are you ready? The CCPA, the first comprehensive United States privacy law takes effect on January 1, 2020, with an enforcement date of July 1, 2020.
Does CCPA Apply to My Business?…
“Alexa – Can You Comply with HIPAA?”
Apparently, that answer is yes. According to Amazon, its virtual personal assistant, Alexa, can now transfer and handle protected health information (“PHI”) in accordance with HIPAA. Amazon expects Alexa to handle various healthcare related tasks, including scheduling urgent care appointments, checking health insurance benefits and reading blood-sugar tests, among others. To create these new services,…
Upcoming Seminar in Connecticut: Cyber Weapons You Must Deploy to Defeat the Criminals Stalking Your Small Business (and a Battle Plan to Launch Today)
Think your business is too small to risk a cyber security threat? Do you have:
- A point-of-sale cash register?
- A credit card authorization system?
- An email account?
- Old software?
- Any computer connected to the internet, ever?
We’ll explain the ways you never dreamed that you were at risk.…
Popular Children’s App Music.ly Settles FTC COPPA Claims
Music.ly, now known as Tik Tok, an app popular with children and teenagers, settled a lawsuit with the FTC under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) to the tune of $5.7 Million Dollars. This sum is the largest civil penalty the FTC has ever obtained under COPPA. …