Alexis Cocco

Firm/Organization: Reed Smith LLP

Blogs: Life Sciences Legal Update, Technology Law Dispatch

Latest Articles

A new California privacy initiative seeks to further bolster individual privacy rights

By Kimberly Gold, Gerard Stegmaier, Alexis Cocco, Jacqueline Lefebvre & Taber Rueter on September 30, 2019

Another potentially groundbreaking California ballot initiative has been announced, just as companies began to digest and incorporate the amendments to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) into their compliance plans and learned the draft CCPA regulations will be issued by the California Attorney General in October. Last week, the primary advocate for and co-architect of the CCPA announced a new privacy initiative for California’s November 2020 ballot – the California Privacy Rights and Enforcement Act …

Life Sciences Legal Update

Key questions linger after recent amendments to California Consumer Privacy Act

By Bart Huffman, Gerard Stegmaier, Wendell Bartnick & Alexis Cocco on September 19, 2019

Last week marked the end of legislative activity in the state of California for 2019, and with the impending California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA or the Act) going into effect on January 1, 2020, many businesses were waiting optimistically for some clarification on lingering questions. The California legislature did pass five bills amending the Act, presenting minimal real relief for businesses affected by this sweeping law. Some key questions remained: Would employee data be excluded?…

Technology Law Dispatch

Last minute amendments likely finalize CCPA language for January 1 deadline.

By Bart Huffman, Gerard Stegmaier, Wendell Bartnick & Alexis Cocco on September 17, 2019

Late last week, the California legislature approved five bills intended to clarify the scope and required compliance obligations of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA or the Act). Organizations now have just over three months to determine whether they need to comply with the newly amended CCPA, assess what their obligations are, and implement the policies, procedures, and operational changes necessary to comply with the law. Five amendments passed: AB 25, AB 874,…

Technology Law Dispatch

State attorneys general work with telecom giants to address robocalls

By Divonne Smoyer, Aaron Lancaster & Alexis Cocco on August 27, 2019

Robocalls: everyone receives one or two, but more likely dozens. While some are helpful, most are annoying, and the worst can result in financial fraud. While the FCC and Congress have been taking steps toward addressing the issue, state attorneys general (AGs) have taken the first major action to end unwanted robocalls. On August 22, AGs from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, together with 12 large telecom companies, announced a new framework to…

Technology Law Dispatch

U.S. Chamber of Commerce assembles key stakeholders to discuss data privacy

By Divonne Smoyer, Aaron Lancaster & Alexis Cocco on July 22, 2019

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (the “Chamber”) recently hosted a data privacy summit, “#DataDoneRight”, which brought together a group of industry professionals, government stakeholders, and privacy thought leaders to talk about data privacy. The Chamber, which has proposed federal privacy legislation, engaged a wide variety of speakers, covering multiple viewpoints, to demonstrate the need for a comprehensive and fair federal privacy law: Alastair Mactaggart, the primary architect of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA),…

Technology Law Dispatch

Nevada and Oregon expand their data privacy laws

By Divonne Smoyer, Aaron Lancaster & Alexis Cocco on June 6, 2019

May was a busy month for state privacy law updates and amendments. In addition to amendments made by Texas to its breach notification law, both Oregon and Nevada expanded their privacy-related laws this month, while Illinois’s CCPA-like law failed to pass after a variety of amendments related to whether the law would allow for a private right of action. In Oregon, the legislature expanded its data breach notification statute (ORS §§ 646A.600 et seq.).…

Technology Law Dispatch

FTC and DC Attorney General’s office discuss federal and state privacy trends at Reed Smith

By Divonne Smoyer, Aaron Lancaster & Alexis Cocco on June 3, 2019

On May 21, 2019, representatives of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Office of DC Attorney General (AG) Karl Racine visited Reed Smith to discuss data privacy trends to watch at the federal and state level. In an IAPP KnowledgeNet presentation moderated by Reed Smith partner Divonne Smoyer, Maneesha Mithal (associate director of the FTC’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, Bureau of Consumer Protection) and Ben Wiseman (director of AG Racine’s Office of…

Technology Law Dispatch

State Attorneys General and the data economy: lead, protect, enforce

By Divonne Smoyer, Aaron Lancaster & Alexis Cocco on March 19, 2019

With the passage of the California Consumer Privacy Act but no clear federal consumer privacy law on the imminent horizon, state Attorneys General (AGs) continue to investigate and analyze how best to protect their consumers. To further that goal, the National Association of Attorneys General hosted a panel entitled Emerging Issues in the Data Economy at its Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. The panel was convened to discuss the role AGs can and should play…

Technology Law Dispatch

Preemption, enforcement and consumer choice, oh my! The House and Senate explore a federal privacy law

By Divonne Smoyer & Alexis Cocco on March 5, 2019

On February 26 and 27, 2019, the House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, respectively, held hearings to explore the potential passage of a national privacy law. In both houses, members of Congress and the panelists agreed that the federal government should enact legislation to protect consumers’ private data without stifling innovation or hurting small businesses. Both hearings were full of much discussion but minimal agreement…

Alexis Cocco

A new California privacy initiative seeks to further bolster individual privacy rights

Key questions linger after recent amendments to California Consumer Privacy Act

Last minute amendments likely finalize CCPA language for January 1 deadline.

State attorneys general work with telecom giants to address robocalls

U.S. Chamber of Commerce assembles key stakeholders to discuss data privacy

Nevada and Oregon expand their data privacy laws

FTC and DC Attorney General’s office discuss federal and state privacy trends at Reed Smith

State Attorneys General and the data economy: lead, protect, enforce

Preemption, enforcement and consumer choice, oh my! The House and Senate explore a federal privacy law

Company

Support

New to the Network