Kathryn Rattigan

Kathryn Rattigan

Kathryn Rattigan is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Data Privacy and Security Team. She concentrates her practice on privacy and security compliance under both state and federal regulations and advising clients on website and mobile app privacy and security compliance. Kathryn helps clients review, revise and implement necessary policies and procedures under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). She also provides clients with the information needed to effectively and efficiently handle potential and confirmed data breaches while providing insight into federal regulations and requirements for notification and an assessment under state breach notification laws. Prior to joining the firm, Kathryn was an associate at Nixon Peabody. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Roger Williams University School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Stonehill College. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read her full rc.com bio here.

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FAA Announces Details about the Recreational Drone Flyer Test

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced more details about its new recreational drone flyer test, which will be an opportunity to educate recreational flyers about the rules of flying a drone in national airspace. An FAA law passed in 2018 requires recreational drone flyers to pass an online aeronautical knowledge and safety test, … Continue Reading

On the Border Restaurant Suffers Data Breach

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Data Breach
Last week, the Tex-Mex restaurant chain On the Border suffered a data breach that impacted its payment acceptance systems in 27 states. The restaurant says that some credit card information of customers who visited the chain between April and August 2019 may have been compromised. In a press release, On the Border representatives said, “Our … Continue Reading

Aviation Groups Urge House and Senate Committees to Reject Drone Legislation

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
In a letter submitted last month to the chairmen and ranking members of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its aviation subcommittee, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and other aviation industry groups urged the panels to oppose the Drone Integration and Zoning Act, S.2607. This Act “proposes enabling thousands … Continue Reading

Consumer-Facing DNA Testing Company Suffers Data Breach

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Data Privacy
Last week, Veritas Genetics, a consumer-facing DNA testing company, suffered a security breach affecting customer information in its database. Veritas offers whole-genome sequencing to consumers for $599. The security incident affected its customer portal, which Veritas said does not contain genetic data, DNA test results or health records. How did that information remain protected from … Continue Reading

Cybersecurity Considerations for Drones

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that by 2023 there will be more than 835,000 commercial drones in the United States. As the use of drones for many commercial purposes (such as aerial inspections, utility projects, monitoring real estate and construction activities) increases, more and more organizations will consider how to integrate these devices into … Continue Reading

Medical Prescription Delivered by Drone

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
Last week, UPS and CVS completed the first commercial medical prescription drone delivery in the United States under a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) program. The deliveries were made in North Carolina via a cable that lowered the prescriptions to the ground as the drone hovered about 20 feet above each destination. One of the packages … Continue Reading

Introducing the New York SHIELD Act

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Enforcement + Litigation
The New York “Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act” (SHIELD Act), N.Y. Gen Bus. Law§ 899-bb, requires businesses that collect private information on New York residents to implement reasonable cybersecurity safeguards to protect that information. While this is a new law in the State of New York, it is simply joining other states, … Continue Reading

UPS Receives FAA Approval for Drone Deliveries

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted UPS Flight Forward, Inc. (UPS) a Part 135 air carrier and operator certification for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drone) delivery. The certification was granted through the FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program and will allow UPS to perform revenue-generating package-delivery activities using drones. As a Part 135 operator, … Continue Reading

Another Delay in Issuance of UAS Remote Identification Regulations

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drones) has been delayed – again. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is now scheduled for release in December 2019. These rules will address remote identification, which is the ability of a drone to … Continue Reading

New Delivery Drone Unveiled

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
Last week, Reno, Nevada-based Flirtey introduced its new delivery drone – the Flirtey Eagle. This new drone was created to deliver packages to customers in less than 10 minutes, operate in 95 percent of potential wind speeds and weather conditions, and deliver its contents by lowering a tether while the drone is suspended in air. … Continue Reading

Drone Completes 115-Mile Trial for Offshore Methane Detection

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
Last week, British Petroleum’s (BP) North Sea business completed its pilot project to remotely monitor methane emissions of its offshore assets by using an unmanned aerial system (UAS or drone). BP used a fixed-wing UAS with sensor technology originally designed by NASA for the Mars Curiosity Rover. The UAS circled one of BP’s offshore platforms … Continue Reading

$267 Million Judgment Against Debt Collector for TCPA Violations

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Enforcement + Litigation, Websites
On September 10, 2019, California federal judge, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, entered a $267 million judgment against a debt collection agency, Rash Curtis & Associates (Rash Curtis), for its violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) for over 534,000 unsolicited robocalls. This judgment comes after a May jury trial in which the … Continue Reading

FAA Demonstrates Successful UAS Traffic Management

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and industry partners in the unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drone) traffic management system pilot successfully demonstrated how multiple drones can function safely in the national airspace. During the demonstrations, conducted at three separate test sites, multiple beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations were conducted at … Continue Reading

FAA Seeks Stakeholder Input on Aeronautical Test for Recreational Operators

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a request for information (RFI) last week asking unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drone) stakeholders for input regarding the creation of a new aeronautical knowledge test for recreational drone operators. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (the Act) requires new conditions to operate recreational small UAS; however, right now, … Continue Reading

Beyond Visual Line of Sight Drone Operations in Kansas

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave the go-ahead for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations. The KDOT team, which includes Kansas State University Polytechnic, Westar Energy and Iris Automation,  will fly a nine-mile track to evaluate technologies for power line inspections in rural … Continue Reading

North Dakota Sheriff’s Department to Operate Drones Over People

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
Last week, the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department in North Dakota received a four-year waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate drones over people. The Department will routinely conduct drone operations over people for purposes of public safety and monitoring. Currently, the Department has five drones –all equipped with a parachute recovery system. Specifically, … Continue Reading

Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight Drone Operations in Alaska

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
A beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight of a drone traveled along the Trans-Alaska pipeline system (TAPS) this month, led by a team from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration. Operators flew the drone along 3.87 miles of TAPS, using onboard and ground-based detection systems (instead of human observers) to detect and … Continue Reading

Ubers of the Future will Monitor Your Vital Signs

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Autonomous Vehicles
Uber has announced that it is considering developing self-driving cars that monitor passengers’ vital signs by asking the passengers how they feel during the ride, in order to provide a stress-free and satisfying trip. This concept was outlined in a patent filed by the company in July 2019. Uber envisions passengers connecting their own health-monitoring … Continue Reading

New B4UFly App Released by FAA and Kittyhawk

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
At the beginning of 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Kittyhawk, an unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drone) service provider, announced a partnership to update the FAA’s B4UFly app. The newly updated app was released last week for drone operators (both commercial and recreational alike), which now determines in real-time which airspace restrictions are … Continue Reading

$7.75 Million Grant Awarded to Drone Companies for Drone Traffic Management

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
Two New York drone companies, AX Enterprize and Thales USA, were awarded a $7.75 million grant from the U.S. Air Force Research Lab to develop state-of-the-art air traffic management (ATM) systems to would allow civilian and military drones to safely coexist alongside manned aircraft in the national airspace. The project and research will be conducted … Continue Reading

FAA Expands Drone Operations for Recreational Operators

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
As of July 23, 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expanded the Low Altitude Authorization and Capability (LAANC) system to include recreational operators. LAANC is a system built as a collaboration between the FAA and industry stakeholders to help expedite the time it takes to receive authorization to fly a drone under 400 feet in … Continue Reading

OSHA’s Drone Initiative

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) drone initiative has taken off. What does that mean for your company? Currently, OSHA can only use drones for inspection activities with permission from employers. However, that could leave you in an uncomfortable position if you deny OSHA’s request to use a drone for its inspection. How should … Continue Reading

UPS Seeks Certification for Drone Delivery Services

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
United Parcel Service of America, Inc. (UPS) is seeking permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate a network of commercial drones for purposes of delivering packages all across the U.S. If UPS’ request for certification is granted by the FAA, UPS could be flying drones over people in populated areas, at night and … Continue Reading
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