Ransomware attacks have been soaring in frequency and severity, affecting companies, government agencies, and nonprofits and leading to larger and larger ransom demands as a condition for unlocking the victim’s information systems. On June 30, 2021, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued guidance on how potential victims can minimize the risk of a successful ransomware attack. While the controls are officially characterized as guidance, NYDFS makes clear that it “expects regulated…

On July 7, 2021, Gov. Jared Polis signed into law the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), which will go into effect on July 1, 2023. Like California’s and Virginia’s data privacy laws, the CPA aims to provide consumers with greater control over their data and enhanced transparency with respect to how their data is used. However, businesses should pay close attention to the unique nuances of the CPA, which are likely to complicate compliance strategies. Scope…

We begin the episode with a review of the massive Kaseya ransomware attack. Dave Aitel digs into the technical aspects while Paul Rosenzweig and Matthew Heiman explore the policy and political But either way, the news is bad. Then we come to the Florida ‘deplatforming’ law, which a Clinton appointee dispatched in a cursory opinion last week. I’ve been in a small minority who thinks the law, far from being a joke, is likely to…

This episode offers an economical overview of the six antitrust reform bills reported out of the House Judiciary Committee last week. Michael Weiner and Mark MacCarthy give us the top line for all six (though only four would make substantial new policy). We then turn quickly to the odd-couple alliances supporting and opposing the bills, including my brief cameo appearance, in Rep. Jim Jordan’s opposition, on the gratifying ground (ok, among others) that Microsoft had…

We couldn’t avoid President Biden’s trip to Europe this week. He made news (but only a little progress) on cybersecurity at every stop. Nick Weaver and I dig into the President’s consultations with Vladimir Putin, which featured veiled threats and a modest agreement on some sort of continuing consultations on protecting critical infrastructure. Jordan Schneider sums up the G7 and NATO statements aligning with U.S. criticisms of China. And our newest contributor, Michael Ellis,…

Just as retail stores, bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues in New York City have been authorized to relax COVID restrictions, they will soon have to confront a new set of requirements—this time focused on their collection of customers’ biometric information. On July 9, 2021, New York City’s new law addressing the collection and use of biometric identifier information will go into effect. The NYC Biometric Law is part of a broader trend of state and…

Paul Rosenzweig lays out the much more careful, well-written, and a policy catastrophe in the making. The main problem? It tries to turn one of the most divisive issues in American life into a problem to be solved by technology. Apparently because that has worked so well in areas like content suppression. In fact, I argue, the report will be seen by many, especially in the center and on the right, as an effort to impose…