The International Association of Privacy Professionals and Reed Smith’s Washington, D.C. office co-hosted the Association’s KnowledgeNet Chapter meeting, “Key Federal and State Regulatory and Enforcement Trends in Privacy to Watch in 2018 – Direct from the Regulators” on February 27, 2018.

Reed Smith partner Divonne Smoyer moderated a panel discussion featuring Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and Associate Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection Maneesha Mithal. Participants discussed the potential for harmonized state data breach laws and the utility of policies that embrace emerging technologies. The panel also highlighted the importance of comprehensive business practice resources that explain key data privacy principles for small businesses. A question from the audience prompted a discussion about whether the tenets of international policies such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are practicable in the United States. The panel agreed that cultural distinctions render regulations like the GDPR unfeasible stateside, but noted that American policies embrace similar legislative intent and serve complementary purposes.

In January, Divonne Smoyer and associate Kimberly Chow published a Q&A with AG Reyes. The article is available on the IAPP website.