Orin Kerr, a law professor and former attorney in the DOJ who worked in the computer crimes division, has a commentary on a lawsuit involving CFAA claims that’s interesting in terms of defining the scope of what the Computer Fraud and Abuse covers – and shouldn’t cover: Today’s Award for the Silliest Theory of the…
Category: Federal
House Approves Social Security Number Protection Act
On December 8, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Social Security Number Protection Act of 2010 (S. 3789), which is aimed at reducing identity theft by limiting access to Social Security numbers. The bill prohibits printing Social Security numbers, or any derivative of a Social Security number, on government-issued checks, and bars federal, state and…
House and Senate Enact Amendment of FCRA, Limit Scope of Red Flags Rule
Boris Segalis writes: The Blog of Legal Times is reporting that late on December 7, 2010 the House of Representatives passed a bill on a voice vote that amends the definition of “creditor” in the Fair and Accurate Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and, as a result, dramatically limits the scope of the Red Flags Rule. The…
US Senate Votes to Exempt Some Professions from from ‘Red Flags Rule’
Rachel M. Zahorsky reports: The American Bar Association came one step closer today to halting an attempt by the Federal Trade Commission to regulate the practice of law when the U.S. Senate unanimously voted that the commission’s “red flags rule” doesn’t apply to lawyers. The legislation at issue, which seeks to curb identity theft among…
New FTC portal to assist businesses in complying with privacy and security laws
From the FTC’s press release: The Federal Trade Commission has a new Business Center at Business.ftc.gov that gives business owners, attorneys, and marketing professionals the tools they need to understand and comply with the consumer protection laws, rules, and guides the FTC enforces. The Business Center provides practical, plain-language guidance about advertising, credit, telemarketing, privacy, and a host…
Proposed S.3898 Amendment to the Electronic Fund Transfer Act Would Shift Risk of Loss to Banks
Richard L. Santalesa writes: Just a step below widows and orphans on the sympathy scale, at least when it comes to ripoffs and theft, sit school districts, boards and local municipalities. And in a era of tight budgets, when school districts are robbed of tax monies from halfway around the world via ACH/wire fraud, state…