By Karin M. McGinnis

Two recent personal events had me thinking lately about the tension between innovation and individual rights, and the risk decisions we make to find a happy medium. The first event was the purchase of a car, necessitated by someone rear-ending my 2004 Honda. Being from Cleveland, it is logical to me to drive a vehicle into the ground, and I was perfectly happy with my ride. (So were the mice in our garage, but that is another story. I will say, however, that Irish Spring soap does work.) Although my kids derided me about the low tech, I didn’t realize what I was missing until I started driving the new car – a previously owned 2019 model with a more fulsome tech package. I had a fleeting thought about vetting the apps before connecting my personal devices, but with the promise of life-changing results, I forged ahead and am happily enjoying the benefits. An easy risk decision. The second event was our power going out as a result of a recent storm. Our power did not just go out for a few hours like our neighbors. Instead, when the electric company fixed the problem, the power surge killed our aging breakers, and we were without power – for over . . . twenty . . . four . . . hours. (Ellipses for dramatic effect. It actually wasn’t so bad.) I learned, however, that a high-end smart breaker panel may have given us some warning, and at the very least saved me from a bad hair day. But smart devices mean sharing information. And again, there’s that tension.

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By Alexandria Lutz 

The North Carolina Bar Association is proud to launch the “Opt-Inspire Initiative,” a new pro bono program that empowers seniors with critical digital literacy skills to safeguard themselves from scams and bridge the generational digital divide. Designed by Alexandria (Lexi) Lutz, Senior Corporate Counsel at Nordstrom, where she focuses on privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, this initiative addresses the dual challenges of preventing scams and fostering digital connection among seniors.

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By Lauren M. Clemmons 

Upcoming Fireside Chat

Have you asked yourself how you could better balance the workload among your team members? Enhance your team’s collaborative environment? Nurture your team members and utilize their skills to best meet the client’s objectives? And, speaking of IoT, what are ways that teams work together to ensure compliance with global IoT legal requirements?

Please register soon and join us for the Fireside Chat with Rob Keller, Senior Director and Associate General Counsel with Cisco, on October 8, 2024, at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, to hear about these issues. Even if you don’t practice in the IoT arena, you are sure to gather insights into teams that you can carry into your own practice. Our own NCBA Privacy & Data Security Section’s Shannon Ralich will host Monday’s Fireside Chat, bringing her experience as Head of Global Privacy & AI at JFrog to the discussion in what promises to be a great event.

The Privacy & Data Security Executive Council looks forward to your attendance! We hope you can come!

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By Taylor Ey

I could not help but compare and contrast this year’s trip to Washington, D.C., for the IAPP’s Global Privacy Summit to the last one I attended, which was in 2019.

The venue was the same (the Convention Center in Washington, D.C.), and being in the building felt, at times, like I had traveled back in time. But then I remembered I was in 2022 when I attended the sessions or met with privacy professionals during breaks in the programming.

This year, many of the sessions were focused on how we can lawfully transfer data from Europe to a third country instead of 2019’s focus of getting ready for the U.S.’s first comprehensive state privacy law, the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). In 2019, we were making predictions about CCPA and its enforcement. We have lived with the CCPA for two years now and have more to prepare for as we get ready for three new (perhaps four with Connecticut?) U.S. state privacy laws that will take effect in 2023. Plus, there are changes coming to California under the California Privacy Rights Act. New topics also emerged, including how to protect teens’ and kids’ data in the U.S. (is it through a self-regulatory framework, updates to the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a new federal law, or a combination of all of these?).

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