Digital Information Law & Your Business - The Alternative Board

Digital Business Risk

www.brittontuma.com © 2014 Shawn E. Tuma 1

Digital Information Law & Your Business

Shawn Tuma, [email protected]@shawnetumablog: shawnetuma.comweb: brittontuma.com

Shawn Tuma is a lawyer whose practice is focused on cutting-edge cyber and information law and includes issues like helping businesses defend their data and intellectual property against computer fraud, data breaches, hacking, corporate espionage, and insider theft. Shawn stays very active in the cyber and information law communities:

Chair, Collin County Bar Association Civil Litigation & Appellate Law Section

Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine

College of the State Bar of Texas

Privacy and Data Security Committee of the State Bar of Texas

Computer and Technology, Litigation, Intellectual Property Law, and Business Sections of the State Bar of Texas

Information Security Committee of the Section on Science & Technology Committee of the American Bar Association

Social Media Committee of the American Bar Association

North Texas Crime Commission, Cybercrime Committee

International Association of Privacy Professionals

The information provided is for educational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by this presentation.



Social Media

Using It To Grow Your Business



Data Security & Data Breaches

Your Company’s Biggest Threat



“Authority” Governing Data Breach

• Laws• Types

• Common Law (courts)• Statutory Law (legislatures)

• Sources• International• Federal• State• Local

• Agency Rules & Regulations

• Industry Standards



What do these sources of “Authority” have in common?

• Tell you what must be done following a breach.

• Can you guess who “you” is?

• “You” is the entity breached.



What do you have to do following a data breach?

• Execute Breach Response Plan

• General Steps• contact attorney (privilege)• assemble your Response Team• contact forensics• contact notification vendor• investigate breach• remediate responsible vulnerabilities• reporting & notification



What does “reporting & notification” mean?

• Law Enforcement

• State Attorneys General

• Federal Agencies • FTC, SEC, HHS, etc.

• Industry Groups• PCI, FINRA, FDIC

• Credit Bureaus

• Professional Vendors & Suppliers

• Consumers



Cost of a Data Breach!

• In 2012

• $188.00 per lost record

• $188.00 x “X” - $$$$$$$$



Story Time• you were CEO of a world-wide company• breach impacting 110 million customers• $61 million in expenses alone• 10% discount to all shoppers• $5 million investment in cybersecurity coalition• offer “free” identity theft and credit monitoring to all affected

customers• Net earnings down 34.28%• Earnings per share down 44.60%• Non-cash losses down 487.71%• US sales down 6.60%• Lawsuits, possible enforcement actions, who knows?• and then you learn …



Have you ever heard of …



Important Questions

• Whose 110,000,000+ customers were furious?• Who spent $61 million in expenses?• Who gave a 10% discount to all shoppers?• Who gave $5 million to a cybersecurity coalition?• Who offered “free” identity theft and credit

monitoring to all affected customers?• Whose net earnings are down 34.28%?• Whose earnings per share are down 44.60%?• Whose non-cash losses down 487.71%?• Whose US sales are down 6.60%?• Who is defending lawsuits, enforcement actions?• One more question …



Allocating risk and mitigating risk by contract

• Allocating risk• designate duties & responsibilities

A party bears the risk when the agreement allocates the risk to that party. TEX. JUR. 3d Contracts § 123

• indemnify“An undertaking against loss or damage amounts to a guaranty of reimbursement on a payment by the indemnitee. With respect to a promise to indemnify against damages, a right to bring suit does not accrue until the indemnitee has suffered damage or injury by being compelled to pay the judgment or debt.” 14 TEX. JUR. 3d Contribution § 24

• Mitigating risk• require mandatory policies, procedures, and security

standards for third parties



But all are just contractual obligations

• Look to you for relief, you must then go enforce your contractual remedies

• Breach of Contract

• Inability to perform

• Unwillingness to perform

• Efficient breach theory

• Insolvency / bankruptcy

• Cost of litigation to enforce



The contractual obligations are important and needed

• Show diligence and taking data security more serious than most

• FTC – looking at 3rd party contracts

• SEC – looking at policies and 3rd party contracts

• Post-breach = helpful for attorneys general

• But more is required



Recent agency advisory statements

• January 2014: SEC indicates that the new standard of care for companies may require policies in place for:

1. Prevention, detection, and response to cyber attacks and data breaches,

2. IT training focused on security, and

3. Vendor access to company systems and vendor due diligence.

• January 31, 2014: GMR Transcription Svcs – FTC case – is requiring businesses to follow 3 steps when contracting with 3rd party service providers:

1. Investigate by exercising due diligence before hiring data service providers.

2. Obligate their data service providers to adhere to the appropriate level of data security protections through contractual agreements with provider.

3. Verify that the data service providers are adequately protecting data as required by the contractual standards.



Key Takeaways

• You are still liable for breaches caused by 3rd parties!

• Contractual agreements are not a magic wand to make liability go away – you are still responsible but now have a remedy against the 3rd party

• “Trust, but verify” = Audit!

• Cyber Insurance



Sun Tzu – The Art of War

“In all fighting the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed to secure victory.”

“You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you attack places which are not defended.”

“The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points; and his forces being thus distributed in many directions, the numbers we shall have to face at any given point will be proportionately few.”



Trade Secrets

Yes, Your Company Has Them and Needs to Protect Them!

Digital Information Law & Your Business - The Alternative Board

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Transcript of Digital Information Law & Your Business - The Alternative Board