Chambers Ranks Hintze Law and Partners Sheila Sokolowski, Susan Hintze, and Mike Hintze in 2022 USA Privacy & Data Security Reviews

We are honored to announce that Chambers & Partners has recognized Sheila Sokolowski, Partner and Chair of Hintze Law’s Health & Biotech Privacy Group in its 2022 USA - Nationwide Privacy& Data Security Healthcare rankings. Chambers has also once again recognized Hintze Law and Member Partners, Mike Hintze and Susan Hintze, in its 2022 Privacy & Data Security USA – Nationwide rankings.  

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FTC Issues Stern Warning on Ed-Tech and COPPA

By Sheila Sokolowski

On May 19, 2022, the FTC issued a stern warning to ed-tech providers regarding compliance with COPPA suggesting enhanced enforcement in this area. Citing “the steady proliferation of technologies that allow, and business models that depend on, the online collection and monetization of consumers’ personal information” and “the development of ever more sophisticated targeting practices,” the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted unanimously to issue a policy statement regarding collection of children’s information by ed tech providers.  The Policy Statement of the Federal Trade Commission on Education Technology and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act states that the FTC “intends to scrutinize compliance with the full breadth of the substantive provisions of the COPPA Rule and statutory language.” The FTC’s statement highlights COPPA’s limitations on collection, use and retention of children’s personal information and security requirements, all of which apply to COPPA-covered ed-tech companies.

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NY Employee Privacy Law Updates

By Jennifer Ruehr

This week, two pieces of important employee privacy legislation were passed in New York.  The first is an amendment to New York’s civil rights law that adds new requirements for businesses that conduct employee monitoring activities in the state. And, the second only applies to businesses in New York City in relation to automated employment decision tools used for hiring and promotion purposes.

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Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Privacy Laws: California Joins the Party

By Sheila Sokolowski

On October 6, 2021, California’s governor signed the  Genetic Information Privacy Act (the “Act”), adding the state to the growing number enacting laws requiring direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies to protect the privacy and security of their customers’ genetic data. 

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Virginia Passes Comprehensive Data Privacy Law

By Charlotte Lunday

On March 2, 2021, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) into law. The VCDPA, which takes effect January 1, 2023, will look familiar to those who work with the GDPR and California’s Consumer Privacy Act and Privacy Rights Act (CCPA and CPRA, respectively). Companies that have already invested in GDPR and CCPA/CPRA compliance will find that most VCDPA obligations are similar to what they have already addressed in some form for Europe and California.  But the new Virginia law also contains some novel provisions, such as excluding a broad range of “publicly available information” from the definition of personal data, contractual requirements for sharing de-identified data, and establishing an appeals process for data rights requests. 

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