SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION
When there was a data breach involving customer personal and financial information at a large retail store, the company’s directors were shocked. However, Roberta, a privacy analyst at the company and a victim of identity theft herself, was not. Prior to the breach, she had been working on a privacy program report for the executives. How the company shared and handled data across its organization was a major concern. There were neither adequate rules about access to customer information nor
procedures for purging and destroying outdated data. In her research, Roberta had discovered that even low- level employees had access to all of the company’s customer data, including financial records, and that the company still had in its possession obsolete customer data going back to the 1980s.
Her report recommended three main reforms. First, permit access on an as-needs-to-know basis. This would mean restricting employees’ access to customer information to data that was relevant to the work performed. Second, create a highly secure database for storing customers’ financial information (e.g., credit card and bank account numbers) separate from less sensitive information. Third, identify outdated customer information and then develop a process for securely disposing of it.
When the breach occurred, the company’s executives called Roberta to a meeting where she presented the recommendations in her report. She explained that the company having a national customer base meant it would have to ensure that it complied with all relevant state breach notification laws. Thanks to Roberta’s guidance, the company was able to notify customers quickly and within the specific timeframes set by state breach notification laws.
Soon after, the executives approved the changes to the privacy program that Roberta recommended in her report. The privacy program is far more effective now because of these changes and, also, because privacy and security are now considered the responsibility of every employee.
What could the company have done differently prior to the breach to reduce their risk?
In 2014, Google was alleged to have violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) through its Apps for Education suite of tools. For what specific practice did students sue the company?
A large online bookseller decides to contract with a vendor to manage Personal Information (PI). What is the
least important factor for the company to consider when selecting the vendor?
Which of the following best describes the ASIA-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) principles?
Which of the following does Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibit an employer from asking a job applicant?
Which of the following privacy rights is NOT available under the Colorado Privacy Act?
The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized an individual’s right to privacy over personal issues, such as contraception, by acknowledging which of the following?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:
Declan has just started a job as a nursing assistant in a radiology department at Woodland Hospital. He has also started a program to become a registered nurse.
Before taking this career path, Declan was vaguely familiar with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). He now knows that he must help ensure the security of his patients’ Protected Health Information (PHI). Therefore, he is thinking carefully about privacy issues.
On the morning of his first day, Declan noticed that the newly hired receptionist handed each patient a HIPAA privacy notice. He wondered if it was necessary to give these privacy notices to returning patients, and if the radiology department could reduce paper waste through a system of one-time distribution.
He was also curious about the hospital’s use of a billing company. He Questioned whether the hospital was doing all it could to protect the privacy of its patients if the billing company had details about patients’ care.
On his first day Declan became familiar with all areas of the hospital’s large radiology department. As he was organizing equipment left in the halfway, he overheard a conversation between two hospital administrators. He was surprised to hear that a portablehard drive containing non-encrypted patient information was missing. The administrators expressed relief that the hospital would be able to avoid liability. Declan was surprised, and wondered whether the hospital had plans to properly report what had happened.
Despite Declan’s concern about this issue, he was amazed by the hospital’s effort to integrate Electronic Health Records (EHRs) into the everyday care of patients. He thought about the potential for streamlining care even more if they were accessible to all medical facilities nationwide.
Declan had many positive interactions with patients. At the end of his first day, he spoke to one patient, John, whose father had just been diagnosed with a degenerative muscular disease. John was about to get blood work done, and he feared that the blood work could reveal a genetic predisposition to the disease that could affect his ability to obtain insurance coverage. Declan told John that he did not think that was possible, but the patient was wheeled away before he could explain why. John plans to ask a colleague about this.
In one month, Declan has a paper due for one his classes on a health topic of his choice. By then, he will have had many interactions with patients he can use as examples. He will be pleased to give credit to John by name for inspiring him to think more carefully about genetic testing.
Although Declan’s day ended with many Questions, he was pleased about his new position.
Based on the scenario, what is the most likely way Declan’s supervisor would answer his question about the hospital’s use of a billing company?
What is a key way that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) prevents unauthorized access into a person’s back account?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION
Otto is preparing a report to his Board of Directors at Filtration Station, where he is responsible for the privacy program. Filtration Station is a U.S. company that sells filters and tubing products to pharmaceutical companies for research use. The company is based in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout the U.S. and Asia. It sells to business customers across both the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region. Filtration Station participates in the Cross-Border Privacy Rules system of the APEC Privacy Framework.
Unfortunately, Filtration Station suffered a data breach in the previous quarter. An unknown third party was able to gain access to Filtration Station’s network and was able to steal data relating to employees in the company’s Human Resources database, which is hosted by a third-party cloud provider based in the U.S. The HR data is encrypted. Filtration Station also uses the third-party cloud provider to host its business marketing contact database. The marketing database was not affected by the data breach. It appears that the data breach was caused when a system administrator at the cloud provider stored the encryption keys with the data itself.
The Board has asked Otto to provide information about the data breach and how updates on new developments in privacy laws and regulations apply to Filtration Station. They are particularly concerned about staying up to date on the various U.S. state laws and regulations that have been in the news, especially the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and breach notification requirements.
What can Otto do to most effectively minimize the privacy risks involved in using a cloud provider for the HR data?
Which of the following is most likely to provide privacy protection to private-sector employees in the United States?
What was unique about the action that the Federal Trade Commission took against B.J.’s Wholesale Club in 2005?
Smith Memorial Healthcare (SMH) is a hospital network headquartered in New York and operating in 7 other states. SMH uses an electronic medical record to enter and track information about its patients. Recently, SMH suffered a data breach where a third-party hacker was able to gain access to the SMH internal network.
Because it is a HIPPA-covered entity, SMH made a notification to the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about the breach.
Which statement accurately describes SMH’s notification responsibilities?
California’s SB 1386 was the first law of its type in the United States to do what?
Sarah lives in San Francisco, California. Based on a dramatic increase in unsolicited commercial emails, Sarah believes that a major social media platform with over 50 million users has collected a lot of personal information about her. The company that runs the platform is based in New York and France.
Why is Sarah entitled to ask the social media platform to delete the personal information they have collected about her?
Most states with data breach notification laws indicate that notice to affected individuals must be sent in the “most expeditious time possible without unreasonable delay.” By contrast, which of the following states currently imposes a definite limit for notification to affected individuals?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION
Otto is preparing a report to his Board of Directors at Filtration Station, where he is responsible for the privacy program. Filtration Station is a U.S. company that sells filters and tubing products to pharmaceutical companies for research use. The company is based in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout the U.S. and Asia. It sells to business customers across both the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region. Filtration Station participates in the Cross-Border Privacy Rules system of the APEC Privacy Framework.
Unfortunately, Filtration Station suffered a data breach in the previous quarter. An unknown third party was able
to gain access to Filtration Station’s network and was able to steal data relating to employees in the company’s Human Resources database, which is hosted by a third-party cloud provider based in the U.S. The HR data is encrypted. Filtration Station also uses the third-party cloud provider to host its business marketing contact database. The marketing database was not affected by the data breach. It appears that the data breach was caused when a system administrator at the cloud provider stored the encryption keys with the data itself.
The Board has asked Otto to provide information about the data breach and how updates on new developments in privacy laws and regulations apply to Filtration Station. They are particularly concerned about staying up to date on the various U.S. state laws and regulations that have been in the news, especially the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and breach notification requirements.
The Board has asked Otto whether the company will need to comply with the new California Consumer Privacy Law (CCPA). What should Otto tell the Board?
All of the following are tasks in the “Discover” phase of building an information management program EXCEPT?
Within what time period must a commercial message sender remove a recipient’s address once they have asked to stop receiving future e-mail?
Which of the following best describes how federal anti-discrimination laws protect the privacy of private-sector employees in the United States?
Which of the following would NOT constitute an exception to the authorization requirement under the HIPAA Privacy Rule?
Which federal agency plays a role in privacy policy, but does NOT have regulatory authority?
Which was NOT one of the five priority areas listed by the Federal Trade Commission in its 2012 report, “Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change: Recommendations for Businesses and Policymakers”?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:
You are the chief privacy officer at HealthCo, a major hospital in a large U.S. city in state A. HealthCo is a HIPAA-covered entity that provides healthcare services to more than 100,000 patients. A third-party cloud computing service provider, CloudHealth, stores and manages the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of these individuals on behalf of HealthCo. CloudHealth stores the data in state B. As part of HealthCo’s business associate agreement (BAA) with CloudHealth, HealthCo requires CloudHealth to implement security
measures, including industry standard encryption practices, to adequately protect the data. However, HealthCo did not perform due diligence on CloudHealth before entering the contract, and has not conducted audits of CloudHealth’s security measures.
A CloudHealth employee has recently become the victim of a phishing attack. When the employee unintentionally clicked on a link from a suspicious email, the PHI of more than 10,000 HealthCo patients was compromised. It has since been published online. The HealthCo cybersecurity team quickly identifies the perpetrator as a known hacker who has launched similar attacks on other hospitals – ones that exposed the PHI of public figures including celebrities and politicians.
During the course of its investigation, HealthCo discovers that CloudHealth has not encrypted the PHI in accordance with the terms of its contract. In addition, CloudHealth has not provided privacy or security training to its employees. Law enforcement has requested that HealthCo provide its investigative report of the breach and a copy of the PHI of the individuals affected.
A patient affected by the breach then sues HealthCo, claiming that the company did not adequately protect the individual’s ePHI, and that he has suffered substantial harm as a result of the exposed data. The patient’s attorney has submitted a discovery request for the ePHI exposed in the breach.
What is the most significant reason that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) might impose a penalty on HealthCo?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION
Noah is trying to get a new job involving the management of money. He has a poor personal credit rating, but he has made better financial decisions in the past two years.
One potential employer, Arnie’s Emporium, recently called to tell Noah he did not get a position. As part of the application process, Noah signed a consent form allowing the employer to request his credit report from a consumer reporting agency (CRA). Noah thinks that the report hurt his chances, but believes that he may not ever know whether it was his credit that cost him the job. However, Noah is somewhat relieved that he was not offered this particular position. He noticed that the store where he interviewed was extremely disorganized. He imagines that his credit report could still
be sitting in the office, unsecured.
Two days ago, Noah got another interview for a position at Sam’s Market. The interviewer told Noah that his credit report would be a factor in the hiring decision. Noah was surprised because he had not seen anything on paper about this when he applied.
Regardless, the effect of Noah’s credit on his employability troubles him, especially since he has tried so hard to improve it. Noah made his worst financial decisions fifteen years ago, and they led to bankruptcy. These were decisions he made as a young man, and most of his debt at the time consisted of student loans, credit card debt, and a few unpaid bills – all of which Noah is still working to pay off. He often laments that decisions he made fifteen years ago are still affecting him today.
In addition, Noah feels that an experience investing with a large bank may have contributed to his financial troubles. In 2007, in an effort to earn money to help pay off his debt, Noah talked to a customer service representative at a large investment company who urged him to purchase stocks. Without understanding the risks, Noah agreed. Unfortunately, Noah lost a great deal of money.
After losing the money, Noah was a customer of another financial institution that suffered a large security breach. Noah was one of millions of customers whose personal information was compromised. He wonders if he may have been a victim of identity theft and whether this may have negatively affected his credit.
Noah hopes that he will soon be able to put these challenges behind him, build excellent credit, and find the perfect job.
Consumers today are most likely protected from situations like the one Noah had buying stock because of which federal action or legislation?
What is the most likely reason that states have adopted their own data breach notification laws?
Even when dealing with an organization subject to the CCPA, California residents are NOT legally entitled to request that the organization do what?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION
Felicia has spent much of her adult life overseas, and has just recently returned to the U.S. to help her friend Celeste open a jewelry store in California. Felicia, despite being excited at the prospect, has a number of security concerns, and has only grudgingly accepted the need to hire other employees. In order to guard against the loss of valuable merchandise, Felicia wants to carefully screen applicants. With their permission, Felicia would like to run credit checks, administer polygraph tests, and scrutinize videos of interviews. She intends to read applicants’ postings on social media, ask QUESTION NO:s about drug addiction, and solicit character references. Felicia believes that if potential employees are serious about becoming part of a dynamic new business, they will readily agree to these requirements.
Felicia is also in favor of strict employee oversight. In addition to protecting the inventory, she wants to prevent mistakes during transactions, which will require video monitoring. She also wants to regularly check the company vehicle’s GPS for locations visited by employees. She also believes that employees who use their own devices for work-related purposes should agree to a certain amount of supervision.
Given her high standards, Felicia is skeptical about the proposed location of the store. She has been told that many types of background checks are not allowed under California law. Her friend Celeste thinks these worries are unfounded, as long as applicants verbally agree to the checks and are offered access to the results. Nor does Celeste share Felicia’s concern about state breach notification laws, which, she claims, would be costly to implement even on a minor scale. Celeste believes that
even if the business grows a customer database of a few thousand, it’s unlikely that a state agency would hassle an honest business if an accidental security incident were to occur.
In any case, Celeste feels that all they need is common sense – like remembering to tear up sensitive documents before throwing them in the recycling bin. Felicia hopes that she’s right, and that all of her concerns will be put to rest next month when their new business consultant (who is also a privacy professional) arrives from North Carolina.
Based on Felicia’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) plan, the business consultant will most likely advise Felicia and Celeste to do what?
Which of the following became the first state to pass a law specifically regulating the collection of biometric data?
Which authority supervises and enforces laws regarding advertising to children via the Internet?
The use of cookies on a website by a service provider is generally not deemed a ‘sale’ of personal information by CCPA, as long as which of the following conditions is met?
In which situation is a company operating under the assumption of implied consent?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION
Matt went into his son’s bedroom one evening and found him stretched out on his bed typing on his laptop. “Doing your homework?” Matt asked hopefully.
“No,” the boy said. “I’m filling out a survey.”
Matt looked over his son’s shoulder at his computer screen. “What kind of survey?” “It’s asking QUESTION NO:s about my opinions.”
“Let me see,” Matt said, and began reading the list of QUESTION NO:s that his son had already answered. “It’s asking your opinions about the government and citizenship. That’s a little odd. You’re only ten.”
Matt wondered how the web link to the survey had ended up in his son’s email inbox. Thinking the message might have been sent to his son by mistake he opened it and read it. It had come from an entity called the Leadership Project, and the content and the graphics indicated that it was intended for children. As Matt read further he learned that kids whotook the survey were automatically registered in a contest to win the first book in a series about famous leaders.
To Matt, this clearly seemed like a marketing ploy to solicit goods and services to children. He asked his son if he had been prompted to give information about himself in order to take the survey. His son told him he had been asked to give his name, address, telephone number, and date of birth, and to answer QUESTION NO:s about his favorite games and toys.
Matt was concerned. He doubted if it was legal for the marketer to collect information from his son in the way that it was. Then he noticed several other commercial emails from marketers advertising products for children in his son’s inbox, and he decided it was time to report the incident to the proper authorities.
Depending on where Matt lives, the marketer could be prosecuted for violating which of the following?
John, a California resident, receives notification that a major corporation with $500 million in annual revenue has experienced a data breach. John’s personal information in their possession has been stolen, including his full name and social security numb. John also learns that the corporation did not have reasonable cybersecurity measures in place to safeguard his personal information.
Which of the following answers most accurately reflects John’s ability to pursue a legal claim against the corporation under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)?
All of the following common law torts are relevant to employee privacy under US law EXCEPT?
If an organization certified under Privacy Shield wants to transfer personal data to a third party acting as an agent, the organization must ensure the third party does all of the following EXCEPT?
Which of the following federal agencies does NOT enforce the Disposal Rule under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA)?
Which of the following best describes an employer’s privacy-related responsibilities to an employee who has left the workplace?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:
Larry has become increasingly dissatisfied with his telemarketing position at SunriseLynx, and particularly with his supervisor, Evan. Just last week, he overheard Evan mocking the state’s Do Not Call list, as well as the people on it. “If they were really serious about not being bothered,” Evan said, “They’d be on the national DNC list. That’s the only one we’re required to follow. At SunriseLynx, we call until they ask us not to.”
Bizarrely, Evan requires telemarketers to keep records of recipients who ask them to call “another time.” This, to Larry, is a clear indication that they don’t want to be called at all. Evan doesn’t see it that way.
Larry believes that Evan’s arrogance also affects the way he treats employees. The U.S. Constitution protects
American workers, and Larry believes that the rights of those at SunriseLynx are violated regularly. At first Evan seemed friendly, even connecting with employees on social media. However, following Evan’s political posts, it became clear to Larry that employees with similar affiliations were the only ones offered promotions.
Further, Larry occasionally has packages containing personal-use items mailed to work. Several times, these have come to him already opened, even though this name was clearly marked. Larry thinks the opening of personal mail is common at SunriseLynx, and that Fourth Amendment rights are being trampled under Evan’s leadership.
Larry has also been dismayed to overhear discussions about his coworker, Sadie. Telemarketing calls are regularly recorded for quality assurance, and although Sadie is always professional during business, her personal conversations sometimes contain sexual comments. This too is something Larry has heard Evan laughing about. When he mentioned this to a coworker, his concern was met with a shrug. It was the coworker’s belief that employees agreed to be monitored when they signed on. Although personal devices are left alone, phone calls, emails and browsing histories are all subject to surveillance. In fact, Larry knows of one case in which an employee was fired after an undercover investigation by an outside firm turned up evidence of misconduct. Although the employee may have stolen from the company, Evan could have simply contacted the authorities when he first suspected something amiss.
Larry wants to take action, but is uncertain how to proceed.
Based on the way he uses social media, Evan is susceptible to a lawsuit based on?
A law enforcement subpoenas the ACME telecommunications company for access to text message records of a person suspected of planning a terrorist attack. The company had previously encrypted its text message records so that only the suspect could access this data.
What law did ACME violate by designing the service to prevent access to the information by a law enforcement agency?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION
Felicia has spent much of her adult life overseas, and has just recently returned to the U.S. to help her friend Celeste open a jewelry store in California. Felicia, despite being excited at the prospect, has a number of security concerns, and has only grudgingly accepted the need tohire other employees. In order to guard against the loss of valuable merchandise, Felicia wants to carefully screen applicants. With their permission, Felicia would like to run credit checks, administer polygraph tests, and scrutinize videos of interviews. She intends to read applicants’ postings on social media, ask QUESTION NO:s about drug addiction, and solicit character references. Felicia believes that if potential employees are serious about becoming part of a dynamic new business, they will readily agree to these requirements.
Felicia is also in favor of strict employee oversight. In addition to protecting the inventory, she wants to prevent mistakes during transactions, which will require video monitoring. She also wants to regularly check the company vehicle’s GPS for locations visited by employees. She also believes that employees who use their own devices for work-related purposes should agree to a certain amount of supervision.
Given her high standards, Felicia is skeptical about the proposed location of the store. She has been told that many types of background checks are not allowed under California law. Her friend Celeste thinks these worries are unfounded, as long as applicants verbally agree to the checks and are offered access to the results. Nor does Celeste share Felicia’s concern about state breach notification laws, which, she claims, would be costly to implement even on a minor scale. Celeste believes that
even if the business grows a customer database of a few thousand, it’s unlikely that a state agency would hassle an honest business if an accidental security incident were to occur.
In any case, Celeste feels that all they need is common sense – like remembering to tear up sensitive documents before throwing them in the recycling bin. Felicia hopes that she’s right, and that all of her concerns will be put to rest next month when their new business consultant (who is also a privacy professional) arrives from North Carolina.
Regarding credit checks of potential employees, Celeste has a misconception regarding what?
Once a breach has been definitively established, which task should be prioritized next?