If you operate a financial services business, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), you may be subject to the FTC’s Safeguard Rule (the Rule). Compliance with the Rule requires you to have an information security plan that stipulates how your business protects the sensitive customer information you handle.
For many businesses, [...]
If you do business online, you need to pay close attention to the requirements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA or the Act). Enacted in 1998, the COPPA requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce rules that regulate how website operators collect, use, and distribute personal information from children online. The FTC’s COPPA Rule [...]
In September 2008, I received one of those notices you hear about, but think will never happen to you. It was a letter from my mortgage lender to let me know that “an employee may have sold unauthorized personal information about you to a third party”. In short, there had been a data breach at the company.
Unfortunately, [...]
According to the Codex Alimentarius Commission of the United Nations, a food is regarded as safe “If it doesn’t cause harm to the consumer when prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use”. This entails that food should be free from contaminants, adulterants, naturally occurring toxins and all those substances which might have adverse effects [...]
PAT testing is the legal requirement as to how portable appliances need to be tested. However the requirements are very broad and it is not always obvious what must be tested, and how often they must be tested.
All appliances used in public areas such as schools, hospitals, shops and hotels must be PAT tested. As [...]
While the Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed amendments to Regulation S-P await final rule status, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has enacted sweeping new data security and identity theft legislation. At present, approximately 45 states have enacted some form of data security laws, but before Massachusetts passed its new legislation, only California had a statute [...]
Have you received a Penalty Charge Notice for a violation of any of the millions of Statutes, Rules and Regulations that our dear Government are foisting upon us?
Most common ones are for Parking Violations, Driving faster than the speed they have declared is right, paying something after their deadline, or not providing them with something [...]
Earlier this year, on February 17th, 2009, President Obama signed the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)” into law. “ARRA” provides a partial subsidy of COBRA and state mini-COBRA premiums to qualifying “assistance eligible individuals” (AEIs), their spouses, and their dependents. Premium assistance for these individuals began on or after the date the law went [...]
After the attacks on Microsoft by the Federal Trade Commission and then the standing by as AOL and Time Warner Merged, and later the wait and watch strategy with Google, one has to ask what on Earth the FTC is trying to convince us of. Now, they have a new appointed head, from San Francisco [...]
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) Mortgage Rescission
I was on the phone yesterday with a loss mitigation rep from Washington Mutual Bank. I was calling to get the specific address to send a “Notice of Rescission” to for WAMU. Every lender/bank/servicer has specific addresses for these types of correspondence. I asked the lady in Loss Mitigation [...]
