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Compliance Spotlight

Working From Home and Its Data Security Implications

Remote work was something once looked at as a gift, a day to work at home in your sweatpants on your couch. But now, some are stuck working from home until further notice or maybe even until they retire. This new method of work has made it much harder for businesses to keep the information of their workers and customers safe despite additional avenues of technology being used to work from home. An average employee may never think about the challenges associated with data security, but it is important to shed some light on this subject so that more people understand its importance. It is also important to understand why the lack of data security laws in the US could be so detrimental to any company doing work here. Company and consumer information is more vulnerable than ever with people working from home all over the country and without comprehensive data security regulations in the US, there is no end in sight.

Compliance Spotlight: William Hanning, CISSP, CISO

William Hanning is a Chief Information Security Officer with Groups360 and close to twenty years of Information Security experience. Mr. Hanning has built and managed security programs in multiple industries in organizations of varying sizes, as well as within Fortune 100 companies. Here, he gives insight about the separation between data privacy and cybersecurity, the role of information security teams, and how cybersecurity relates to and supports the work of legal and compliance departments.

Amateur Athletics Governance: Tumbling Over Misconduct Reporting

Congress has enhanced government oversight of amateur sports in response to numerous allegations in recent years targeting amateur sports governing bodies’ failures to address physical and mental misconduct. New legislation is expected to make significant reforms by requiring training, reporting, and a new system to manage allegations of of sexual abuse, among other changes.

Compliance Spotlight: Lucas Nelson, Medpharm

Lucas Nelson is the General Manager at Medpharm. Medpharm is a vertically integrated cannabis operator based out of Des Moines, Iowa. Medpharm holds two of Iowa’s five dispensary licenses and is the only licensed cultivator. They are one of only two dispensaries currently operating in the state. Mr. Nelson holds a Juris Doctor from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from James Madison University. 

The Biggest Upset of March Madness: Unequal Accommodations

A major upset took place on first day of the very much anticipated 2021 National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) Division 1 Basketball Tournaments, and I am not referring to any of the games that took place on that day. In the evening of March 18th, University of Oregon Forward Sedona Prince took to social media to expose the evident discrepancies between the weight room facilities for the men’s and women’s tournament facilities. To prevent a coronavirus outbreak, each of the tournaments are taking place in a bubble funded by the NCAA. The video Prince posted showed the women’s tournament weight room which consisted of a single set of dumbbells, then showed the men’s tournament weight room that was supplied with various training equipment. Not only were there massive disparities between the weight rooms for the men’s and women’s tournaments, but there is also a clear and substantial difference in the “swag bags” given to each student athlete participating in the tournament from the NCAA. As well as the quality of food provided to the female student athletes who are competing in the tournament.

Federal Trade Commission Rule Would Make it Easier to Cancel Subscriptions

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is proposing a rule that would make it easier for consumers to cancel subscription services and free trials they no longer want. This proposal, the “click to cancel” provision, was announced on March 22 and is part of the FTC’s ongoing review of its 1973 Negative Option Rule. This Rule regulates any and all unfair and deceptive practices related to subscriptions, memberships, and other recurring-payment programs. 

The Rise of AI: Why Congress Must Regulate Artificial Intelligence Before it is too Late

In November of last year, Open AI launched ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that engages users with dialogue to answer questions, write responses to prompts, and interacts with the user. Google quickly responded to the technological advancement by creating their own version of a chatbot called Bard that Google claims will draw “on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality response.” AI has quickly embedded itself into most everyday activities. Additionally, in light of recent mass layoffs, experts predict that AI could displace tens of millions of jobs in the United States in the coming years. And with new chatbots run by AI, AIs have gone from simply replacing people to assisting people with tasks. As with all emerging technology, the general public may worry about regulating something that can be so intrusive and yet powerful and helpful to society. With the unsurmountable amount of knowledge provided by AI in seconds, it is necessary that Congress catch up to the emerging technology and create regulations for AI that can respect intellectual property and copyright laws and eradicate how AI adds to racial and gender disparities in the United States.

Hey U.S. Government, The Romance Scammers Are Eating Americans Dry

The rise of online dating and social media has brought people closer together but has also given rise to a growing threat: romance scams. These fraudulent schemes prey on individuals seeking love and companionship, resulting in emotional and financial devastation. These scams involve perpetrators who create fake online personas to deceive individuals into forming romantic connections. Once trust is established, scammers exploit emotions to extract money from their victims, often under the pretense of financial emergencies or travel expenses.

This is the Troubled Teen Industry

In 2020, many millennials turned to YouTube to watch what we thought would be a behind-the-scenes look into the life of Paris Hilton. What we didn’t expect was to learn that, just like thousands of teenagers across this country, Paris endured trauma while living in a “troubled teen” home. Since then, along with Congress, Paris has lobbied to enact laws to regulate the troubled youth facilities as it uses loopholes to get around what some would consider to be cruel punishment against kids.