How Organizations Can Stay Ahead of Changing Privacy Laws

Theodora Stringham Featured in the Digital Guardian

by Ellen Zhang | Monday August 26, 2019

26 Business Leaders and Security Pros Offer Tips on How Organizations Can Stay Ahead of Changing Privacy Laws

The European Union's General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR) wasn't the first privacy law on the books, but it was the first major shakeup in privacy legislation to have such far-reaching effects on businesses around the world. Following the GDPR's implementation, U.S. states have begun implementing their own privacy legislation. California was among the first, with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) slated to go into effect on January 1, 2020. Texas has also implemented privacy legislation, known as the Texas Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act, which also goes into effect in 2020, while Nevada's legislation, Senate Bill 220, goes into effect even before the CCPA, on October 1, 2019.

While these and other state-based privacy laws are new, they're already undergoing changes that could potentially impact businesses. Legislators in California, for instance, are continuing to amend and refine the state's legislation before it goes into effect in 2020. With new privacy laws being implemented around the U.S. and worldwide, and changes being made to existing legislation, businesses are facing an uphill battle when it comes to staying on top of ever-changing laws and regulations. To help you establish a process for staying abreast of the latest legislation that impacts your business, we reached out to a panel of privacy experts and attorneys and asked them to answer this question:

Theodora Stringham

@OffitKurmanLaw

Theodora Stringham assists individuals and businesses with growing successfully while minimizing liability. In her employment law practice, she provides assistance with growth issues including talent and idea retention, discipline, and discrimination claims. Ms. Stringham's representation ranges from identifying potential liability and providing counseling/trainings, all the way through representation at trial.

"Best practices surrounding privacy laws must include a well thought-out and communicated policy..."

Everyone on the team (from the bottom to the top) should be aware of how sensitive information and data should be treated. From my experience, this includes training sessions that include real-life examples to fit the evolving nature of the organization. Without this constant communication/reminder, many policies are often forgotten, putting the entire organization at risk. It only takes one person’s mistake to cause a huge problem.

Click here to read the full article