[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 81 (Monday, April 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23354-23355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08800]



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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION


Postponement of Public Workshop Related to Proposed Changes to 
the Safeguards Rule

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Postponement and change of format of public workshop; extension 
of deadlines for submission of comments and requests to participate.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') is 
rescheduling the public workshop relating to its April 4, 2019 Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking (``NPRM'') announcing proposed changes to the 
Commission's Safeguards Rule. The workshop will take place via live 
webcast rather than in person. Additionally, the Commission is 
extending the deadlines for submission of requests to participate in 
the workshop and of public comments relating to the subject matter of 
the workshop.

DATES: The public workshop will be held on July 13, 2020, from 9:00 
a.m. until 4:30 p.m. It will be freely accessible to the public via a 
live webcast on the FTC's website. Requests to participate as a 
panelist must be received by May 14, 2020. Any written comments related 
to agenda topics or the issues discussed by the panelists at the 
workshop must be received by August 12, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a comment or a request to 
participate as a panelist online or on paper, by following the 
instructions in the Filing Comments and Requests to Participate as a 
Panelist part of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. Write 
``Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR part 314, Project No. P145407,'' on your 
comment and file your comment online at https://www.regulations.gov by 
following the instructions on the web-based form. If you prefer to file 
your comment on paper, write ``Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR part 314, 
Project No. P145407,'' on your comment and on the envelope and mail 
your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office 
of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite CC-5610 (Annex F), 
Washington, DC 20580, or deliver your comment to the following address: 
Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Constitution Center, 
400 7th Street SW, 5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex F), Washington, DC 
20024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Lincicum, Division of Privacy 
and Identity Protection, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade 
Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, (202) 
326-2773.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    On April 4, 2019, the FTC issued an NPRM \1\ announcing a number of 
proposed modifications to its Safeguards Rule,\2\ which implements data 
security requirements in the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.\3\ The Safeguards 
Rule requires that financial institutions under the FTC's jurisdiction 
develop, implement, and maintain written information security programs 
that are appropriate in light of the institutions' size and complexity 
and that take into account an assessment of relevant data security 
risks.\4\ The proposed rule would, among other things, establish with 
greater specificity the types of security measures and controls that 
financial institutions must explicitly consider in developing their 
information security programs.\5\ The Commission received 48 public 
comments in response to the NPRM.\6\
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    \1\ 84 FR 13158 (April 4, 2019).
    \2\ 16 CFR 314.
    \3\ 15 U.S.C. 6801(b).
    \4\ 16 CFR 314.3, 314.4.
    \5\ 84 FR 13158 (April 4, 2019).
    \6\ The comments are available at https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=FTC-2019-0019-0011.
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    On March 2, 2020, the FTC announced that it would hold a public 
workshop to seek additional information relating to the costs and 
benefits of the changes proposed in the NPRM--specifically, that it 
would seek information on a number of topics from security 
professionals who have worked with financial services companies.\7\ The 
workshop was scheduled for May 13, 2020 and the Commission announced 
that it would accept requests to participate in the workshop until 
March 12, 2020 and public comments on the subject matter of the 
workshop until June 13, 2020.\8\
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    \7\ 85 FR 13082 (Mar. 6, 2020).
    \8\ Id.
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    The Commission recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic is currently 
causing, and may continue to cause, significant disruptions to the 
lives and operations of people and organizations across the United 
States.\9\ In light of these disruptions, and in the interest of 
facilitating broad public participation, the Commission is now 
postponing the GLB Safeguards Workshop until July 13, 2020. 
Additionally, the workshop will be conducted virtually rather than in 
person. It will be webcast to the public and will be viewable from the 
Commission's website. Further details about viewing the workshop will 
be released on the Commission's website prior to the workshop. The 
deadlines for submitting requests to participate in the workshop and 
public comments have been extended to May 14, 2020 and August 12, 2020, 
respectively.
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    \9\ See Statement from FTC Chairman Joe Simons Regarding 
Consumer Protection, Mar. 26, 2020, available at https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_statements/1569773/final_chairman_covid_statement_3262020.pdf.
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II. Public Participation Information

A. Workshop Attendance

    The workshop is free and open to the public. It will be webcast 
live on the FTC's website, with panelists participating remotely. No 
in-person attendance will be permitted.
    This event may be videotaped, webcast, or otherwise recorded. By 
participating in this event, you are agreeing that your image--and 
anything you say or submit--may be posted indefinitely at www.ftc.gov 
or on one of the Commission's publicly available social media sites.

B. Requests To Participate as a Panelist

    The workshop will be organized into panels, which will address the 
designated topics. Panelists will be selected by FTC staff. Viewers 
will have an opportunity to comment and ask questions. The Commission 
will place a transcript of the proceeding on the public record.
    Requests to participate as a panelist must be received on or before 
May 14, 2020, as explained in Section IV below. Persons selected as 
panelists will be notified on or before May 29, 2020. Disclosing 
funding sources promotes transparency, ensures objectivity, and 
maintains the public's trust. If chosen, prospective panelists will be 
required to disclose the source of any support they received in 
connection with participation at the workshop. This information will be 
included in the published panelist bios as part of the workshop record.

C. Electronic and Paper Comments

    The submission of comments is not required for participation in the 
workshop. If a person wishes to submit paper or electronic comments 
related to the agenda topics or the issues discussed by the panelists 
at the workshop, such comments should be filed as prescribed in Section 
III, and must be received on or before August 12, 2020.

III. Filing Comments and Requests To Participate as a Panelist

    You can file a comment, or request to participate as a panelist, 
online or on

[[Page 23355]]

paper. For the Commission to consider your comment, we must receive it 
on or before August 12, 2020. For the Commission to consider your 
request to participate as a panelist, we must receive it by May 14, 
2020. Write ``Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR 314, Comment, Project No. 
P145407'' on your comment and ``Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR 314, Request to 
Participate, Project No. P145407'' on your request to participate. Your 
comment--including your name and your state--will be placed on the 
public record of this proceeding, including, to the extent practicable, 
on the publicly available website, https://www.regulations.gov.
    Postal mail addressed to the Commission is subject to delay because 
of the public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and 
the agency's heightened security screening. We strongly encourage you 
to submit your comments online. To make sure that the Commission 
considers your online comment, you must file it at https://www.regulations.gov.
    Because your comment will be placed on a publicly accessible 
website, https://www.regulations.gov, you are solely responsible for 
making sure that your comment does not include any sensitive or 
confidential information. In particular, your comment should not 
include sensitive personal information, such as your or anyone else's 
Social Security number; date of birth; driver's license number or other 
state identification number, or foreign country equivalent; passport 
number, financial account number, or credit or debit card number. You 
are also solely responsible for making sure that your comment does not 
include any sensitive health information, such as medical records or 
other individually identifiable health information. In addition, your 
comment should not include any ``trade secret or any commercial or 
financial information which . . . is privileged or confidential''--as 
provided by Section 6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 
4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 4.10(a)(2)-- including in particular competitively 
sensitive information such as costs, sales statistics, inventories, 
formulas, patterns, devices, manufacturing processes, or customer 
names.
    Comments containing material for which confidential treatment is 
requested must be filed in paper form, must be clearly labeled 
``Confidential,'' and must comply with FTC Rule 4.9(c). In particular, 
the written request for confidential treatment that accompanies the 
comment must include the factual and legal basis for the request, and 
must identify the specific portions of the comment to be withheld from 
the public record.\10\ Your comment will be kept confidential only if 
the FTC General Counsel grants your request in accordance with the law 
and the public interest. Once your comment has been posted on the 
https://www.regulations.gov website, we cannot redact or remove your 
comment, unless you submit a confidentiality request that meets the 
requirements for such treatment under FTC Rule 4.9(c), and the General 
Counsel grants that request.
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    \10\ See 16 CFR 4.9(c).
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    Requests to participate as a panelist at the workshop should be 
submitted electronically to [email protected], or, if on 
paper, should be submitted in the manner detailed below. Parties are 
asked to include in their requests a brief statement setting forth 
their expertise in or knowledge of the issues on which the workshop 
will focus as well as their contact information, including a telephone 
number and email address (if available), to enable the FTC to notify 
them if they are selected.
    If you file your comment or request to participate on paper, write 
``Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR part 314, Comment, Project No. P145407'' on 
your comment and on the envelope and ``Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR part 
314, Request to Participate, Project No. P145407,'' on your request and 
on the envelope. Mail your comment or request to the following address: 
Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania 
Avenue NW, Suite CC-5610 (Annex F), Washington, DC 20580; or deliver 
your comment or request to the following address: Federal Trade 
Commission, Office of the Secretary, Constitution Center, 400 7th 
Street SW, 5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex F). If possible, submit your 
paper comment or request to the Commission by courier or overnight 
service.
    Visit the Commission website at http://www.ftc.gov to read this 
Notice and the news release describing it. The FTC Act and other laws 
that the Commission administers permit the collection of public 
comments to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. The 
Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments that 
it receives on or before August 12, 2020. The Commission will consider 
all timely requests to participate as a panelist in the workshop that 
it receives by May 14, 2020. For information on the Commission's 
privacy policy, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, 
see https://www.ftc.gov/site-information/privacy-policy.

IV. Communications by Outside Parties to Commissioners or Their 
Advisors

    Written communications and summaries or transcripts of oral 
communications respecting the merits of this proceeding, from any 
outside party to any Commissioner or Commissioner's advisor, will be 
placed on the public record.\11\
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    \11\ See 16 CFR 1.26(b)(5).

    By direction of the Commission.
April J. Tabor,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-08800 Filed 4-24-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6750-01-P