The Zoom FTC Case: A Real Example of How Misleading Privacy Statements Can Trigger Years of Regulatory Oversight

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement with Zoom Video Communications after concluding that the company misrepresented the level of encryption applied

The Sephora CCPA Enforcement Case Is the Warning Shot Every Business Owner Should Study

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Introduction In August 2023, the California Attorney General announced a settlement with Sephora Inc. for violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act. According to the official

Arizona Attorney General Sues Temu for Alleged Data Theft: What Business Owners Need to Know

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed a major lawsuit against Temu and its parent company, PDD Holdings Inc. The complaint alleges widespread, deceptive, and highly

California Launches Data Broker Enforcement Strike Force: What the Delete Act Means for Your Business in 2025–2026

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. 1. Introduction: California’s New Enforcement Era Has Arrived California has launched one of the most aggressive privacy enforcement programs in the United States. The California

Why the FTC Says “Public Data” Is Not Free - And Why Your Business Needs to Take This Seriously

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. 1. The FTC’s Signal: Scraping Public Info Can Be Illegal - Not a Loophole For decades many companies acted under the assumption that if data

Urgent Warning for Companies Using AI: OpenAI’s Recent Mixpanel Breach Could Expose Your Data

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. 1. Why Business Owners Cannot Ignore OpenAI’s Latest Privacy Problems If your company is using ChatGPT, OpenAI’s API, or any AI tool built on

The MOVEit Breach Exposed 95 Million Records: 10 Risks Business Owners Cannot Ignore

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary The 2023 MOVEit Transfer breach is now confirmed as one of the largest data exfiltration events in United States history. More than 2,700

The Border Biometric Expansion: Why DHS’s New Facial Recognition Rule Raises Major U.S. Privacy Risks

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. A significant shift in American border policy quietly unfolded in late 2025, one that will define the next decade of biometric privacy law. The Department of

The AI Data Scraping Crackdown: Why Regulators Say Tech’s Biggest Secret Violates U.S. Privacy Law

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. A quiet battle has begun between U.S. regulators and the artificial intelligence industry, triggered by the discovery that many of the most influential AI systems

U.S. Senate Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Ban Sale of Americans’ Location Data

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. 1. Introduction The sale of precise location data has moved from a niche advertising tool to a central focus of the United States privacy debate. Congress

NYDFS Just Redefined Third-Party Cyber Risk. Here’s What Every Financial Institution Must Do Now.

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. 1. Executive Summary On October 21, 2025, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued a new Industry Letter titled “Guidance on Managing Risks

When AI Privacy Meets Discovery: What OpenAI v. The New York Times Reveals About the Future of Chat-Log Privacy

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. 1. Executive Summary The discovery battle unfolding in The New York Times Company v. Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI represents one of the most consequential privacy disputes

SOC 2 vs ISO 27001: Which Compliance Framework Is Right for Your Business

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Introduction: Why Every Business Needs a Security Framework In today’s digital economy, data protection and cybersecurity are no longer optional - they are operational and

How Sling TV’s $530,000 Privacy Settlement Became a Warning for Every Digital Business

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. 1) Understanding Sling TV and Why It Matters Sling TV is a major American streaming platform owned by Dish Network, launched in 2015 to capture the

Inside Meta’s $725 Million Facebook Privacy Settlement: The Largest U.S. Class-Action Privacy Payout and What It Means for the Future of Data Governance

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. 1. Introduction: A Turning Point for U.S. Privacy Enforcement In 2025, Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms, Inc. began disbursing payments from a $725 million

Google’s Silent Pushback on California’s Browser Privacy Bill: What Counsel & Security Teams Must Know

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary In 2025, the state of California advanced landmark legislation - AB 566 - that would require web browsers (and later mobile OSs) to include

Maryland’s “New Gold Standard” Privacy Law: The Maryland Online Data Privacy Act (MODPA) and Its Implications for Tech Companies

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Introduction On May 9, 2024, Maryland Online Data Privacy Act (“MODPA” or the “Act”) was signed into law by Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland, thereby positioning

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing (WIMWAG) Act at a Crossroads: Renewal, Revision, and Privacy Concerns

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), originally enacted in 2015, has served as the legal foundation for cybersecurity cooperation between the private sector and

Google’s $425 Million Privacy Verdict: Lessons for Business Owners

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary In September 2025, a federal jury in San Francisco ordered Google to pay $425 million in damages for violating user privacy. The class action,

How the “Foresight Network” Exploited Federal Layoffs - And Why Cybersecurity Attorneys Must Pay Attention

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Introduction In September 2025, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) revealed a coordinated, China-linked operation that masqueraded as a group of consulting firms to lure

How Healthline.com's Privacy Missteps Sparked a Lawsuit - And What Every Company Must Do to Avoid the Same Fate

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Introduction In July 2025, the California Attorney General filed a complaint against Healthline Media, LLC for violating the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the Unfair

The Otter.ai Lawsuit: What Went Wrong and How Companies Can Avoid the Same Privacy Mistakes

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. In August 2025, Otter.ai, the artificial intelligence transcription company, became the target of a major class action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court

One Misconfigured Port Could Void Your SOC 2 and Force a Breach Disclosure

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary In cloud-native environments, a single exposed port on a virtual machine or container can trigger major regulatory consequences. What appears to be a routine

How One Packet Capture Could Sink Your SOC 2 Audit - And Open You to Lawsuits

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary Protocols like Telnet, FTP, and POP3 are still present across many enterprise environments - including cloud-based vendors, managed service providers, and healthcare organizations. These