Breaking Down the EU AI Act Written by: Juliana Cipolla **Attorney Advertisement: Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes** The landmark European Union Artificial Intelligence Act (“EU AI Act” or the “Act”) formally went into effect on August 1, 2024. As the first comprehensive regulation on AI by a major...
Texas Sues General Motors and OnStar Over Alleged Unlawful Data Collection Written by: Scott Michael Lupiani, Esq. Headline: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton: “Millions of American drivers wanted to buy a car, not a comprehensive surveillance system that unlawfully records information about every drive they take and sells their data...
Legal Storm Ahead: Major Labels Sue AI Music Generators **Attorney Advertising** The music industry is at the brink of a monumental legal clash as leading record labels—Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group—represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have launched lawsuits against AI music generation...
THE BECKAGE FIRM NAMED CYBER LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR BY THE CYBER INSURANCE AWARDS USA 2024 **Attorney Advertisement: Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes** NEW YORK, July 31, 2024 – The Beckage Firm, a woman- and veteran-owned data privacy and security law firm, has been named Cyber Law...
AI v. the Courts – Where Are We Headed? **Attorney Advertisement** Written by: Neeharika Thuravil As generative AI continues to reshape the technological landscape, it's becoming clearer that the legal challenges associated with this groundbreaking technology are just as transformative. Recent lawsuits underscore the interplay between technological innovation and intellectual...
AT&T Data Breach: An Overview of the Impact and Response **Attorney Advertisement: Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes** AT&T recently disclosed a significant data breach affecting tens of millions of its customers, marking one of the largest such incidents in recent history. The telecom giant revealed that call and...
The Landscape of Deepfake AI Legislation **Attorney Advertising** BACKGROUND In 2012, advances in deep learning and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) allowed machines to better categorize images.1 The public gained access to these technological innovations in 2017.2 These techniques experienced a significant improvement in 2022 with Diffusion models and the release...
The Effect of New AI Technologies on the TCPA **Attorney Advertising** BACKGROUND In 1991, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) was passed to maintain “normal, expected or desired communications between businesses and their customers.”1 The primary functions that the TCPA regulates are (1) the use of artificial or prerecorded voice...
Navigating the Complexities of AI Regulation in the EU: Meta's Recent Setback **Attorney Advertising** Meta’s AI Expansion Plans Halted by EU Privacy Concerns Meta Platforms Inc. recently announced a temporary halt to its plans for expanding artificial intelligence (AI) services in Europe. This decision came after the Irish Data Protection...
FTC Takes Action Against Adobe for Deceptive Subscription Practices **Attorney Advertising** The FTC has filed a complaint against 2 top executives at Adobe for misleading consumers about early termination fees and complicating subscription cancellations. Key Allegations: Hidden Fees: Adobe’s “annual paid monthly” plan obscured the hefty early termination fee. Complex...
Introducing the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA): A New Era for Consumer Privacy? **Attorney Advertising** In April 2024, Senate Commerce Committee Chair, Maria Cantwell, and House Energy & Commerce Committee Chair, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, released the draft of the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA). This comprehensive federal consumer privacy framework...
𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗪𝗶-𝗙𝗶 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 Written By: Danny Blakesley **Attorney Advertising** Today, Wi-Fi networks are ubiquitous, and our increasing reliance on connected devices makes a stable connection essential. However, using unfamiliar or public Wi-Fi poses reliability and security risks. It's crucial to ensure your Wi-Fi connections are secure and...
Updated Security Advisory: Scattered Spider Focuses on Cloud Apps Written By: Kevin Johnson **Attorney Advertisement: Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes** The shift of Scattered Spider to cloud-based attacks underscores an evolving cyber threat landscape to bypass and take advantage of cloud security measures, such as MFA, EDR, VPNs,...
GPT 4o: Revolutionizing AI with Privacy and Cybersecurity at the Forefront Written by: Neeharika Thuravil **Attorney Advertisement** OpenAI’s reported capabilities of the new GPT 4o suggest a platform that could be revolutionary in the potential for a massive amount of use cases. This new model's increased usability comes from the...
Team Spotlight: Lee Merreot, Esq., CIPP/US, CIPP/E In Lee Merreot’s role with The Beckage Firm, she advises clients on issues surrounding state and global privacy and security compliance, including responding to data subject requests, reporting requirements, and the applicability of various laws to specific organizations. She also drafts and revises...
Written by: Rob Noble Despite increased awareness, ransomware threats show no signs of abating, it is crucial for organizations to be vigilant and proactive. Make sure that you are prepared for a ransomware attack by: • Review backups and security controls • Develop a response plan • Train your team...
Written by: Danny Blakesley On April 25, 2024, the FBI issued Alert Number I-042524-PSA, cautioning Americans against using cryptocurrency money services that are not registered as Money Services Businesses (MSB) in compliance with United States federal law. This alert is a reminder of the importance of due diligence in the...
Important Security Alert!CVE-2024-3661 TunnelVision Written by: Scott Morris, SVP|Technology & Security We have been asking people for years "Please do not use public WIFI". We are always question why not? More importantly people always assume VPN mitigates the risk of using public WIFI. This vulnerability (CVE-2024-3661) named TunnelVision is a...
Written by: Juliana Cipolla March 25, 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law to help protect and advance the safety of children online. The bill bans children under age 14 from having their own social media accounts and allows 14- and 15-year-olds to become account holders with...
Written by: Robert Noble NEW YORK, Apr. 24, 2024 - Jennifer A. Beckage, Esq., CIPP/US, CIPP/E has been named among the top 50 data breach lawyers in the U.S. Cybersecurity Docket’s Incident Response 50. Incident Response 50 is peer nominated and reviewed and seeks to answer the question “Who would...
Written by: Christine Bacon, Esq. In today’s business landscape, virtual meetings have become ubiquitous. Numerous AI services will record conversations, take meeting notes, and provide transcripts. This technology makes it easier than ever to record sensitive conversations without a participant’s knowledge or consent, raising issues for litigation counsel. For example,...
Written by: Juliana Cipolla On February 8, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission announced a unanimous adoption of a Declaratory Ruling that recognizes calls made with AI-generated voices are “artificial” under the Telephone Communications Protection Act (TCPA). Under the TCPA, it is unlawful for an organization to make a call without...
Written by: Juliana Cipolla For the first time since 1972, the first privately built American spacecraft vehicle has recently landed on the moon. The last US robotic lander was Apollo 17, back in 1972. On February 21, 2024, the US robotic lander Odysseus arrived on the moon. After troubleshooting communications, flight controllers...
Written by: Robert Noble Integrating AI may seem daunting, but its transformative power is undeniable as being currently displayed at the groundbreaking NVIDIA GTC 2024. If your company is navigating the challenge of AI integration, let your AI journey begin with Beckage legal intelligence. Our team includes thought leaders and...
Written by: Juliana Cipolla On December 27, 2023, The New York Times (“NYT”) filed a complaint against Microsoft and OpenAI claiming defendants allegedly created generative AI products relying on large-language models that were built by copying and using millions of NYT’s copyrighted works including news articles, investigations, opinion pieces, and...
Written by: Robert Noble New York, January 25, 2024 The Beckage Firm PLLC, a women-owned, boutique data security and privacy law firm announced the addition of Lee Merreot to the rapidly growing team of The Beckage Firm. Lee Merreot, will serve as a distinguished member of the Firm’s team of...
At The Beckage Firm we value strength, loyalty, and the power of a team. We want to formally welcome some of our newest hires: Timothy J. McPoland CPA, ABV, CFE, CVA, Neeharika Thuravil, and Lee Merreot CIPP/US, CIPP/E. We’re excited to have you all on board, and we can’t wait...
By Danny Blakesley Day 1 of 25 Days of Cyber Security: Understanding Our Digital Landscape Welcome to the first day of our “25 Days of Cybersecurity” series! In today’s interconnected world, where digital interactions and transactions have become a cornerstone of our daily lives, the significance of cyber security has...
In his dual role as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and SVP of Cyber Risk at The Beckage Firm, Kevin encompasses a broad range of responsibilities. His responsibilities include updating and refining cybersecurity policies and practices and training staff to ensure the team is up to date with data protection...
Proposed Rulemaking to COPPA **Attorney Advertising: Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes** "On December 20, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (“COPPA”) to place new restrictions on the use and disclosure of children’s personal information, attempting...
On October 30, 2023, President Biden signed an Executive Order on AI, requiring companies to report to the federal government risks of their systems, and lessen the dangers of “deep fakes.” The Executive Order has eight sections to help guide AI safety and security and are broken down as follows:...
By: Juliana Cipolla The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) is a global card brand requirement designed to prevent fraud through the increased control of credit card data. While the PCI DSS has no legal authority to compel compliance, it becomes binding when inserted into merchant card processing...
By: Juliana Cipolla On May 1, 2023, Indiana became the seventh state to enact a comprehensive data privacy law. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed Senate Bill 5, known as the Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act (“INCDPA”), following the footsteps of previous state privacy laws, going into effect January 1, 2026....
By: Scott M. Lupiani, EQ.,Member It is well known that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's (HIPAA) Privacy and Security regulations have limitations on their reach. One such limitation is that HIPAA only applies to covered entities and their business associates, not health data in general. To address this...
Proposed Second Amendment to 23 NYCRR Part 500 **Attorney Advertising** The Department of Financial Services released their Proposed Second Amendment to the Cybersecurity Regulation, 23 NYCRR Part 500. This amendment requires Class A Companies to implement additional cybersecurity controls, such as independent audits or their cybersecurity programs at least annually,...
**Attorney Advertisement** On February 1, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced an enforcement action for the first time under its Health Breach Notification Rule against the telehealth ad prescription drug discount provider GoodRx Holdings Inc. (“GoodRx”). The FTC’s Health Breach Notification Rule requires vendors of personal health records and...
*The complaint filed contains alleged conduct. Admissible evidence is required to prove allegations. Written By: Scott Michael Lupiani, Esq. **Attorney Advertisement** Jaqueline Husky, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated filed suit against State Farm Fire & Casualty Company, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Case No....
Post Dobbs, organizations are taking a closer look at their geolocation practices, data that they receive from third parties, including data brokers, and their operational practices. To further complicate this review, the FTC has shined a light on the issue with its recently filed suit against Kochava, who is in...
NEW YORK, September 22, 2022 The Beckage Firm PLLC, a women-owned, boutique data security and privacy law firm has partnered with the Spencer Educational Foundation to provide a scholarship to undergraduate students pursuing a career in risk management who self -identify with a traditionally underrepresented race/ethnicity or as female. “At...