The federal government, the District of Columbia, and each of the 50 states have Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws that allow individuals to file requests for specific public documents with government agencies and quickly receive them unless the documents are subject to statutory exemptions. As most federal and state FOIA statutes were originally passed in the late 1960s, they impose some duties upon government agencies that many believe no longer make sense in the digital era.
On December 8, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a statement regarding its intent to investigate certain participants in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.[1] This announcement, just a few months after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its first-ever False Claims
On November 17, 33 state attorneys general (AGs) submitted a comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), supporting its contemplated new efforts in the corporate surveillance and data security space. The AGs’ public support for the FTC’s anticipated rulemaking suggests the AGs will continue to focus on data security issues in the coming new
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) protects investors and maintains a fair, orderly, and efficient marketplace. While the SEC has historically focused its enforcement efforts on public companies, recent announcements from Acting Chief Accountant Paul Munter suggest the SEC is taking a closer look at other actors who play a role in fair and efficient
This article was originally published in Westlaw Today and is republished here with permission.
As detailed in our articles[1] earlier this year, the “right to repair” movement has gained significant steam in the last year. The right to repair movement is an effort focused on ensuring that consumers and aftermarket businesses have the ability
On April 18, the Ninth Circuit issued its opinion in hiQ Labs, Inc. v. LinkedIn Corporation[1] in which the court clarified its position on an important topic: whether the common practice of data “web scraping” can create criminal liability under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). To be clear, the Ninth Circuit was
Stephen Piepgrass and Abbey Thornhill of Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP examine the growing movement to give consumers the “right to repair” vehicles themselves alongside the automotive industry’s emerging market for subscription-based features.
In January, President Joe Biden doubled down on his support for the “right to repair” movement, a push to increase consumers’ ability
Last month President Joe Biden made headlines when he reiterated his support for “right-to-repair” rules, which he first announced in a July 2021 executive order (discussed in our previous article here). The executive order asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) to draft “right-to-repair” rules to increase consumers’ ability to repair equipment on
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) published its Statement of Regulatory Priorities (Statement), announcing its regulatory agenda for 2022. The Statement suggests that the agency will focus largely on rulemaking. New rules will seek to advance President Biden’s agenda of promoting competition in the American economy.
Rulemaking Focus
The FTC “is an
On December 8, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security to answer questions about the social media platform’s effects on children and teens. His appearance followed an announcement by a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general (AGs) regarding an investigation into whether Instagram promoted its