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Alicia A. Baiardo

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Ali, a partner in the San Francisco office of McGuireWoods, is a commanding commercial litigator trusted by three of the largest U.S. banks and numerous Fortune Global 500 companies to defend multimillion-dollar class actions and other complex litigation. She defends nationwide consumer class actions brought on behalf of millions of class members, California-wide cases alleging unfair competition, fraud, and violation of various consumer protection statutes, and complex Ponzi-scheme matters brought against banks.

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Welcome back to our three-part series examining CIPA class actions and defenses. In Part I of this series, we provided an overview of CIPA and its recent resurgence in the age of smart speakers. Here, we review recent CIPA class actions and common violations.

CIPA Finds New Life in the Wake of the “Smart” Devices 

According to a recent report, over a quarter of the adult population in the United States owns a smart speaker.[1] As smart speakers gain popularity, privacy litigation risks continue to grow. Recently-filed complaints utilize CIPA to attack the practice of recording and storing communications between a customer and a smart device such as smart phones or smart speakers.[2]  In 2019 alone, we have seen a rise in the number of cases against major technology companies alleging CIPA violations related to smart devices.  Below is an overview of those recent cases.
Continue Reading The Revitalization of CIPA Claims in the New Age of “Smart” Speakers (Part II)

Welcome to a three-part series that provides an overview of the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), examines recent CIPA litigation involving smart speakers, and proposes defenses in response to an alleged violation.

CIPA in the Age of Smart Devices

The California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA)[1]—traditionally used by law enforcement and the plaintiffs’ bar to address illegal recording/eavesdropping on phone calls—has seen renewed interest in the age of smart speakers. Smart speakers, such as Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home and Apple’s Siri, are voice-enabled devices where the user utters a “wake word” to activate a “virtual assistant”.  A number of putative class actions have recently been filed over these “virtual assistants” and whether they illegally record individuals without their consent.  This recent spate of lawsuits highlights CIPA-compliance risks associated with these new technologies. This article provides an overview of CIPA’s history and features, addresses recently filed CIPA smart-device cases, and recommends defenses for responding to a smart device CIPA action.
Continue Reading The Revitalization of CIPA Claims in the New Age of “Smart” Speakers (Part I)

Welcome back to our three-part series examining cyber vulnerabilities surrounding family offices and steps they can take to mitigate those risks. In Part One we discussed how family offices are particularly vulnerable to cyber-crime. In Part Two, we reviewed different types and  trends of cyberattacks. Here, we will outline how family offices can defend against cyberattacks.

How Family Offices Can Defend Against Cyberattacks

Over a quarter of multi-million dollar family offices do not have dedicated cybersecurity policies in place to protect their systems. This may be because they do not view themselves as needing an onerous cybersecurity policy. However, this view is short-sighted and can leave family offices subject to heavy losses. Family offices do not need to implement large scale or particularly burdensome policies or procedures. Rather, they can build specialized, flexible programs by utilizing a consultant that is reactive to ongoing and updating threats.
Continue Reading What is Your Family Office Doing to Protect Itself From Security Threats? (Part III)

Welcome back to our three-part series examining vulnerabilities surrounding family offices and steps they can take to mitigate those risks. In Part One we discussed how family offices are particularly vulnerable to cyber-crime. Here, we will review different types and trends of cyberattacks.

Cyberattack Trends

Most cyberattacks are the result of “phishing” emails. “Phishing” refers to a deceptive effort to obtain the recipient’s sensitive information by disguising the sender as someone the recipient knows and would trust. Phishing recipients can be deceived into downloading malicious software, providing personal information like account numbers or PINs, wiring funds or paying invoices to cyber-criminals. Ransomware is malware that denies the victim access to their system’s files until the victim pays a ransom. While malware can also take the form of “drive-by” downloading when a victim visits a website prompting the malware to download, over 90% of malware is still delivered via email.
Continue Reading What is Your Family Office Doing to Protect Itself From Security Threats? (Part II)

At least 25% of family offices have been subjects of cyberattacks, and nearly 40% of them lack a cyber security policy. Welcome to a three-part series that will examine the cyber vulnerabilities surrounding family offices and steps they can take to mitigate those risks.

Family Offices Are Particularly Vulnerable to Cyber-Crime

As part of the global increase in the number of billionaires worldwide, family offices have evolved from little more than holding companies to highly sophisticated financial firms managing family wealth, administering assets and acting like a typical private equity or debt fund. Family offices are managing almost 50% of Ultra High Net Worth family wealth. Given the vast amount of wealth that family offices support, they are prime targets for cyber crime, which some analysts project will account for a global $6 trillion cost by 2021.  The fact that nearly 40% of family offices do not even have a cybersecurity policy in place highlights the need for improvement when it comes to making themselves less vulnerable to cybercrime. 
Continue Reading What is Your Family Office Doing to Protect Itself From Security Threats?