[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]
[[Page 23354]]
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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