Over the next few days, I'll identify key intellectual property and technology cases and legislation/regulations to watch out for this year.
Today's topic of discussion ... technology regulations. With the rise of privacy violations by major Internet companies and the U.S. government's review of its privacy framework, here are the top technology regulations to keep an eye on in 2011:
- Data Privacy
- In December 2010, the Federal Trade Commission released a proposal for a new privacy framework that included the implementation of a "do not track" mechanism. Though there was no technical implementation strategy for this mechanism, perhaps companies like Microsoft will develop a proper solution. Expect the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) to follow up with a green paper on privacy some time early this year.
- Cybersecurity
- It's safe to say that we all heard about the Wikileaks debacle. This major breach has put security breach notices and the protection of personal information in the spotlight. Prior to the leak, the FCC had already developed a cybersecurity roadmap and sought out public comments on its proposal. Perhaps cybersecurity legislation could be in the works this year.
- Regulations Overseas
- As the U.S. reviews its own privacy framework, the European Union is looking to reform its data privacy framework this Spring or Summer.
- High Tech Exports
- President Obama's National Export Initiative called for a doubling of U.S. exports by 2015. As the government works towards this goal, it should be no surprise that we may see a change in export controls on high technology products.
