COVID-19 Bulletin: CARES Act Provides Attention to Privacy & Data Security Precautions
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economy Security (CARES) Act provides economic relief for individuals, businesses and industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, some provisions specifically relate to nascent privacy and data security concerns to be addressed both during and after the pandemic:
- Qualifying businesses may apply for financial assistance to cover training on mitigation of remote-work cybersecurity threats.
- Creditors who make an accommodation for delayed payments must report the account as “current” unless it was already delinquent.
- The Public Health Service Act is amended to include breach notification and consent requirements consistent with HIPAA.
- $9 million is allocated to CISA for supply chain and information analysis.
- $500 million is allocated for public health data surveillance and analytics infrastructure modernization.
