In the last month, Ofcom, the regulator tasked with enforcing the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA), has published guidance enacting requirements under the OSA to carry out illegal harms risk assessments and children’s access assessments. Providers of in-scope services must document an illegal harms risk assessment by March 16, 2025, and a children’s access assessment by April 16, 2025. This alert outlines the steps that in-scope services must take to prepare for these deadlines. For more information on the OSA and its phased implementation, refer to our previous blog post here. 

Continue Reading The UK’s Online Safety Regime Is Coming into Force: Steps to Take Now

As of January 17, 2025, financial entities and their critical information and communication technology (ICT) service providers need to comply with the new cybersecurity requirements in the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). DORA introduces significant operational and ICT security requirements for a wide range of financial market participants, including banks, insurers, trading platforms, as well as for their ICT service providers.

Continue Reading New EU Cyber Resilience Requirements for Financial Sector Enter into Force

Overview

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS-OCR) has announced proposed modifications to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule (the Proposed Rule). The Proposed Rule was published in the Federal Register for comment on January 6, 2025. It aims to strengthen the security and privacy of electronic protected health information (ePHI) in response to the evolving threat landscape and emerging technological challenges. If finalized as proposed, the Proposed Rule will have significant implications for healthcare organizations, their business associates, and other entities subject to HIPAA compliance requirements (the “regulated entities”). This alert represents the first in a multipart series outlining the most pertinent of the proposed rules and the potential implications for regulated entities.

Continue Reading HHS-OCR Announces Proposed Modifications to the HIPAA Security Rule

On January 8, 2025, the second highest court of the European Union (EU), the General Court of the Court of Justice of the EU (the Court), ordered (in Bindl v European Commission, Case T-354/22) the European Commission (EC) to pay EUR 400 in damages to an individual for transferring their personal data to the U.S. without having implemented a data transfer mechanism under EU law.

Continue Reading EU Court Awards Damages for Breach of EU Data Transfer Rules

Legislators and regulators across the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) are intensifying efforts to enhance the protection of minors online, responding to growing concerns about children’s safety in the digital space. Recent regulations (including the EU Digital Services Act) and guidance impose increasingly strict obligations for providers to restrict access to harmful content for children.

Continue Reading Increased Focus on the Protection of Minors and Age Verification in the EU and the UK

With Inauguration Day just around the corner, we are likely to see a host of new legislative and enforcement initiatives at the federal level. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will shift certain priorities under incoming Chairman Andrew Ferguson’s direction. And at the state level, legislatures and state attorneys general (state AGs) will continue to be active, enacting and enforcing a slate of new laws. As we ring in the new year, companies should be mindful of the new laws, regulations, and enforcement priorities that will likely impact them. Below are the top 10 U.S. privacy, cybersecurity, and consumer protection developments to watch out for in 2025:

Continue Reading New Year, New Developments: 2025 U.S. Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Consumer Protection Predictions