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In our Stick with Security blog series, we’ve done our best to dive deeper into data security by focusing on the lessons learned from recent cases, insights from closed investigations, and the questions and comments we’ve received from businesses. One remark we’ve heard from companies that want to implement the lessons of Start with Security is “Just give us a list of what to do.” Unfortunately, data security can’t be boiled down to a one-and...

If you think the feuds among the Great Houses of Westeros get intense, consider the dinner table discussions about student loan debt. It’s not just taking a toll on the home front. Experts report that the $1.4 trillion debt burden carried by 42 million Americans is affecting workplace productivity, too. But at a time when consumers need accurate information, opportunistic outfits fly in like Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons with false promises of...

It’s not much bigger than a postage stamp, but the label on many textile, wool, and fur products provides important information, including fiber content, country of origin, and a company name or Registered Identification Number (RN). The FTC administers the RN system and industry members will want to check out recent upgrades to the RN website. With RNs and labels on our mind, we asked some common RN-related questions to attorney Josh Millard...

High-profile hackers grab the headlines. But some data thieves prefer old school methods – rifling through file cabinets, pinching paperwork, and pilfering devices like smartphones and flash drives. As your business bolsters the security of your network, don’t let that take attention away from how you secure documents and devices. FTC law enforcement actions, closed investigations, and experiences we’ve heard from businesses demonstrate the...

In order to reduce the burden associated with submitting detailed information for every document withheld on a claim of privilege, the Bureau has established an optional two-step privilege log process. Rather than submitting a complete privilege log for all withheld documents and custodians, parties may opt to initially submit an abbreviated log of documents withheld on a claim of privilege. This is called a Partial Log. This initial log has very...

Dads and Moms want what’s best for their babies, so some companies feature adjectives like “organic” or “natural” in ads for infant gear. Those are among the terms Illinois-based Moonlight Slumber used to sell its baby mattresses online and at some of the nation’s biggest retailers. But according to an FTC complaint, when it came to backing its mattress claims with proper support, the company was asleep at the switch. In ads for its Starlight...

“Sound data security is a process, not a checklist.” We’ve all heard that slogan – and with good reason. The way that sensitive information moves into, through, and out of your company’s networks or the software products you develop is ever-evolving. So, too, are the risks that hackers and data thieves pose as they adapt to the countermeasures you take to foil their efforts. Approaching data security with a one-and-done attitude ignores the here...

Trust, but verify. That’s good advice in many contexts, including in your approach to businesses you hire to process sensitive data in your possession. Even if a breach ultimately traces back to a service provider’s conduct, from the perspective of a customer or employee whose personal information has been comprised, the buck stops with you. That’s why Start with Security cautions companies to make sure their service providers implement...

UPDATE: As of September 21, 2018, the law says credit freezes are free for everyone, and alerts now last one year (not 90 days). Read more here. Consumers are apprehensive about the security of their personal information and recent headlines about data breaches have moved the needle substantially on the -ometer that measures such things. As a business executive, your customers and employees may be coming to you with questions. Here are answers...

It sounds like there was some “inventing” going on at Florida-based invention promotion firm World Patent Marketing, but a Preliminary Injunction in a case brought by the FTC suggests it wasn’t the kind that unsuspecting consumers bargained for when they forked over millions of dollars based on the defendants’ misleading promises about patenting and promoting their products. For FTC watchers, the opinion is a page-turner from start to finish. We...