The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) recently recognized Alston & Bird Senior Counsel Peter Swire as part of the IAPP’s “25 Leaders, 25 Moments at 25 Years” series. The IAPP, an organization with over 80,000 professionals around the globe, recognized Peter for his work writing the IAPP’s first textbook on U.S. privacy law. […]
The D.C. Circuit’s TikTok Decision Could Portend Greater Regulation of Chinese-Owned Apps
On December 6, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the constitutionality of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (“Act”). The Act, signed into law by President Biden on April 24, 2024, prohibits the “distribution or maintenance” in the U.S. of applications controlled by ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based […]
6th Circuit Upholds 20-year Sentence of Chinese Spy, Convicted of Espionage Crimes, Attempting to Steal Trade Secrets
On August 7, 2024, the 6th Circuit upheld a Chinese spy’s twenty-year prison sentence for attempting to steal aviation trade secrets from General Electric (GE). Yanjun Xu, a deputy director in China’s Ministry of State Security, was responsible for trying to steal aviation-related proprietary information. He spent years inviting Western aviation experts to China, attempting […]
DOJ Announces $11.3 Million in Settlements for FCA Violations
On Monday, June 17, 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement in which two U.S. based consulting companies agreed to pay a combined total of $11.3 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements in government contracts. According to the DOJ, the […]
Penn State University Hit With False Claims Act Suit for Alleged Cyber Security Deficiencies
On September 1, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania unsealed a qui tam False Claims Act (“FCA”) lawsuit (originally filed on October 5, 2022) alleging Penn State University failed to provide “adequate security” for Covered Defense Information, as contractually required by Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (“DFARS”) 252.204-7012. DFARS requires […]