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Two more state governors, those of Maine and North Dakota, have signed bills into law that adopt the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) data security model law (Model Law). Maine and North Dakota join several other states that have already passed similar laws. Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin have similar…

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said last week that “knowledge is power, and in today’s world knowledge is derived from data. When it comes to your own data, you should be in control…” These words came in an Advisory highlighting California consumers’ rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The Advisory outlined several areas…

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…

While the investment potential of cryptocurrencies, including BitCoin, has been all over the news in recent weeks, state governments have begun to explore the practical applications of blockchain – the technology underlying BitCoin.  In New York, Assemblyman Clyde Vanel introduced four bills in late November related to blockchain technology. The first, Assembly Bill 8780, would amend the state technology law to allow signatures, records and contracts secured through blockchain technology to be considered valid electronic records and signatures and further to recognize the legal validity of the use of smart contracts in commerce. This proposed legislation, recognizing legal effect to blockchain transactions and smart contracts, is similar to laws recently passed in other states, including Arizona, Nevada and Vermont.
Continue Reading Proposed Legislation in New York Would Recognize Enforceability of BlockChain Transactions and Explore Applications of Technology

Bangor Health Center, a psychiatric practice located in Bangor, Maine, has notified 4,229 patients that a hacker from Moldova has accessed their psychiatric records, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, telephone numbers, diagnoses and doctors’ notes.

The health center provides outpatient therapy to both children and adults for behavioral health conditions including substance use disorders,…

The Illinois Department of Employment Security has revealed that somewhere between 1.2 million and 1.4 million Illinois residents who have received unemployment benefits from the State of Illinois have had their names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers compromised through a hacking of its vendor’s database. The residents are those seeking jobs and using…

I am pretty up-to-date on data privacy and security and technology, but the 60 Minutes episode this past Sunday night floored even me. If you didn’t see it, it is worth streaming.

Basically, 60 Minutes showed Karsten Nohl, a German computer scientist, remotely attacking U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu’s cell phone and listening to his cell…

Joining more than 20 other states, and many of its sister states in the Northeast, Maine has passed a social media law that prohibits employers from requiring employees or applicants to provide them with their social media account information and passwords. This social media law was not passed in the traditional fashion of passage by…