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FTC to hold public hearings on consumer privacy and data security; focus will address data security enforcement program

Privacy/Cyber Risk & Data Security FTC Consumer Protection State Attorney General

Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security

On October 26, the FTC announced it will hold four days of public hearings in December 2018 and February 2019 to examine the Commission’s authority to deter unfair and deceptive conduct in data security and privacy matters as part of its broader series of hearings on “Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century.” According to the FTC, these hearings (i) “will provide the first comprehensive re-examination of the FTC’s approach to consumer privacy since 2012,” and (ii) “will provide an opportunity to reexamine the Commission’s work in light of changing technologies, legal regimes, and business models.”

The FTC will continue to accept public comments through March 13, 2019, regarding items to be discussed at the February 2019 hearing. As previously covered by InfoBytes, a coalition of bipartisan state Attorneys General submitted a comment letter to the FTC last August requesting that they be included in the discussions regarding consumer protection during the Commission’s hearing process. Specifically, the letter emphasized the states’ “long history of protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive practices” under each state’s consumer protection authority, and noted consumers’ concerns over personal information and data security.