InfoHive – Data Security

What’s happening? S2666 (1117th Congress) would require businesses with more than 50 employees to notify Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that a ransom had been paid within 24 hours. A business’ failure to comply could hinder federal contracts.

Why is this important? Its a blue print for state legislation

How will this be important? This and similar legislation will continue to play out on the state level. We’ve seen Oklahoma make ransomeware “illegal”

Balch & Bingham | Senate Introduces Legislation Requiring 24-hour Ransomware Notification

What’s happening? Miami has partnered with CityCoin to accept MiamiCoin for tax purposes and other city purposes. The mining and exchange generates revenue for Miami.

Why is this important? Annually the program is expected to generate $60 M and the mayor believes it will turn Miami into an innovation hub as the first city to begin this endeavor.

How will this be important? The key is watching the negotiations between the Mayor and a power plant. Cryptocurrency mining utilizes a lot of power.

Washington Post | Crypto tax: ‘MiamiCoin’ has made the city $7 million so far, a potential game-changer for revenue collection

What’s happening? Miami adopted Miamicoin, a cryptocurrency that can pay city employees, and be accepted for city taxes.  Miami is partnering with CityCoins, a nonprofit and opensource protocol that allows people to hold and trade cryptocurrency representing a stake in a municipality.

Why is this important? In a week that saw China ban all cryptocurrency, we see Miami, one of the first cities int venation to embrace crypto currency. The Miami mayor calls the program a way to transform the city into the world’s “cryptocurrency innovation hub,” 

How will this be important? The program is expected to generate $60M in the first year for the city. Since August $7.1 has been generated for Miami.

Washington Post | Crypto tax: ‘MiamiCoin’ has made the city $7 million so far, a potential game-changer for revenue collection

What’s happening? Hong Kong passed a doxxing law that prohibits the public release of information identifying an individual or organization

Why is this important? The legislation is a reaction to the 2019 mass pro-democracy protests that resulted in some law enforcement officers’ home addresses and children’s schools being exposed by anti-government protesters, leading to threats.

How will this be important? Pro-democracy groups worry that the legislation will be used to prosecute dissenters. Asia Internet Coalition, an advocacy group that includes Google, Facebook and Twitter, have said they may stop offering services.

WHBL | Hong Kong legislature passes controversial anti-doxxing privacy bill

What is happening? In June 2021 3.9 Million people quit their jobs. 41% of workers world wide are ready to quit.

Why is this important? Data moves when employees move jobs. New hires are the easiest targets for hackers.

How will this be important? The FBI says $26 billion has been lost to business email compromise attacks like these since 2016.

Forbes | The Great Resignation Makes Data Security More Crucial Than Ever

What is happening? A Newsweek poll shows that more than 40% of Texan voters support crypto-friendly legislation

Why is this important? This includes support for legalizing cryptocurrencies

How will this be important? Wyoming is methodically passing legislation to create a crypto bank, and has been a legislative fascination for other like minded legislators

Yahoo Sports | Crypto-Friendly Legislation Survey in Texas Receives 42% Voter Support

What’s happening? www.banfacialrecognition.com tracks state and local bans on facial recognition software. There are 20+ outright bans.

Why is this important? How you write a ban matters as Town of Hamden, Connecticut learned after proposing ” an ordinance that would prohibit all town officials from obtaining, retaining, accessing or using “any facial recognition system or any information obtained from a facial recognition system.” The wording could prohibit a town official from using their iPhone that uses facial recognition to open.

How will this be important? Both sides on this issue agree that any data collected must be protected from release and hackers.

Reason | Proposed Local Facial Recognition Technology Ban Draws Fire

What is happening? Facial Recognition Software isn’t making local government sales, but it is making private sector sales like Miami where Uber or Lyft, or at an airport kiosks, have tablets that use facial recognition to target ads.

Why is this important? The operator says the tablets do not retain personal data but do look for person’s age, gender, and ethnicity, as well as mood

How will this be important? The company says cookies that tock you are a thing of the past and this is the future.

Miami Herald | Tech Trail: Miami Beach firm’s face camera reads age, gender, mood to target ads. Is that OK?

What’s happening? Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has declared ransomware a threat to the economy. To lessen the threat, The Treasury Department is cracking down on cryptocurrency, the preferred payment method for ransomware hackers.

Why is this important? This year, the U.S. has seen  Colonial Pipeline and JBS USA choosing to pay ransoms. The Justice Department recovered the majority of the roughly $4.4 million in bitcoin paid to the hackers by Colonial.

How will this be important? States are making ransomware an explicit stand alone crime and state securities agencies are enforcing cryptocurrency bad actors, it’ll be a combination of federal and state enforcement.

The Hill | Treasury sanctions cryptocurrency exchange for facilitating ransomware payments

What’s happening? At the end of July New York City passed a rule that required food delivery services to share customer information with restaurants with the policy goal of giving restaurants access to their customers. Now, Door Dash is suing in part because there are no data security measures for when the information is transferred.

Why is this important? Also included in the NYC vs. Food Delivery brouhahah is a cap on fees that delivery services can charge.

How will this be important? Delivery services say ultimately customers will be harmed because they’ll have fewer options and NYC says that restaurants are the backbone of the NYC economy.

NY Post | DoorDash sues NYC over data-sharing law, privacy concerns