Leave it to Google to keep pushing the boundaries of what can be done online. Last month, the search engine giant published a press release touting its first-quarter 2010 results—without actually detailing what the results were. Instead, it directed anybody curious to visit Google’s investors relations Website and announced that it intends to make all […]
Melissa Klein Aguilar
Posted inInternal Controls
Study Finds Gap in Privacy Expectations, Delivery
Corporations are still failing to deliver on efforts to tighten up information security and consumer privacy, despite all the bad publicity and legal risks that they—and everyone else—are already painfully aware of, according to a new study on the problem. The report, conducted by Accenture and the Ponemon Institute, surveyed 5,500 business leaders to see […]
Posted inData Privacy
Commerce Department Seeks Comment on Privacy Laws
Anyone dealing with domestic and global privacy laws take note: The Department of Commerce is seeking public comment on issues related to domestic and global privacy policies as part of a broad review of how those policies impact innovation in the information economy and on whether current laws serve consumer interests. Among other things, the […]
Posted inData Privacy
Poll: Gap Between Intent & Outcome in Data Protection
While high-profile security breaches and the legal and reputational risks that come with them have made protecting personal data critical area for companies, they may not be doing as well as they think in that department. According to a study by Accenture and The Ponemon Institute, there’s a huge difference between organizations’ intentions regarding data […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Justice Department Publishes FCPA Opinion Release
A somewhat rare citing that should be of interest to those following Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement: The Department of Justice has published an FCPA advisory opinion. The FCPA opinion procedures allow issuers and domestic concerns to get the Attorney General’s opinion on whether certain conduct is in line with the Department’s enforcement policy regarding […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Updated Horizontal Merger Guidelines Out for Comment
Required reading for anyone dealing with antitrust issues: Proposed revisions to the guidelines used by federal antitrust agencies to evaluate the competitive impact of mergers and compliance with U.S. antitrust law are now out for public comment. Following a public comment period and a series of public workshops, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department […]
Posted inUncategorized
Revisions to Federal Sentencing Guidelines Approved
The U.S. Sentencing Commission has approved changes to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines aimed at bolstering the strength and independence of the chief compliance officer, although it dropped controversial proposals to change the language about independent monitors and document retention. The Commission approved the changes on April 7, but published the text of the new provisions […]
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Ruling Expands Scope of Whistleblower Protections
A federal judge in Massachusetts has fired a dramatic new volley in the battles over who can file whistleblower retaliation claims under Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, ruling that two employees of a private contractor to Fidelity Investments can pursue retaliation complaints against Fidelity, because the business ultimately serves investors in public companies. The […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Bill to Restore Private Action Against Aiders & Abettors
House lawmakers have introduced their version of a bill to restore private rights of action for aiding and abetting liability. Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has introduced H.R.5042, which would amend section 20 of the ’34 Exchange Act to allow for a private civil action against a person that provides “substantial assistance in violation of such […]
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Supporters Stump for SEC Self-Funding Before Senate Vote
In anticipation of the financial reform legislation heading to the Senate floor in the coming weeks, current and past Securities and Exchange Commission chairmen are among those pressing lawmakers to keep the SEC self-funding provision in the bill. Section 991 of the bill passed by the Senate Banking Committee would allow the SEC to set […]
