Announcements, information and updates from the AG Alliance Members and Associates
April 17, 2020
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COVID-19 ROUNDUP:
TECHNOLOGY & DATA PRIVACY
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Editor's Note to Our Members:
This week's special edition news roundup is dedicated to providing a high level summary of COVID-19 AG actions with a particular focus on privacy and technology. With a rapid increase in at-home use of videoconferencing services, c
yber threats are a growing concern amid the current pandemic, calling upon Attorneys General to protect users while working, learning and connecting from home.
But these same interfaces that hackers use for fraudulent and illegal activity are also being used for good. Companies are rapidly developing technologies to educate, warn and empower those on the ground and the front lines, to significantly reduce the impact and ease spread.
BANJO
, a Utah-based startup who has seen unparalleled success in combatting human trafficking, is using their existing technology to weave together thousands of live data sources and find patterns, with anonymized data. This system, called Live Ground Truth, is being provided to State AGs as a FREE service and uses these patterns to provide insights to first responders, healthcare professionals and government entities in their fight against COVID-19. Contact the
AG Alliance
for a connection to the BANJO team.
Trust Stamp
, an expert in online security and privacy, has launched a biometric location-tracking tool called Safe14, aimed at helping a myriad of organizations to identify a traveler's exact locations within the prior two weeks, ultimately helping to combat the spread of COVID-19. All data is collected through self-input and does not use GPS; the system uses any smartphone and AI verified selfie check-ins to provide location tracking and alerts without any "bracelets" and with zero implementation and operating costs.
This tool is available to government, healthcare and non-profit organizations at no cost.
Similarly,
Apple
and
Google
are partnering on a new Bluetooth technology that uses opt-in contact tracing while operating with strong user privacy protections.
Zoom, an increasingly popular videoconferencing service, is working to ease user concerns regarding privacy while connecting on their platform. After much scrutiny and a push for regulatory action, the company is working hard on a security plan, offering updates and transparency related to their ongoing privacy and security efforts.
Below, you will find more information and resources on the above initiatives. While these technologies offer a glimpse of potentially reopening the country and economy, they also bring privacy and consumer protection concerns, echoing the importance of systematic data security.
We hope this overview is helpful in guiding your AGOs on response plans and best practices for working with tech companies to combat the coronavirus while protecting the privacy of your citizens.
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BANJO's COVID-19 Live Ground Truth
At Banjo, we are focused on doing what we do best to help fight COVID-19: applying technology to get the right information to decision makers and lifesavers who will help us defeat this global pandemic. Our goal is to help give healthcare providers and local, state and federal governments the technology they need to better understand and effectively fight COVID-19.
We created Live Ground Truth — aimed at providing the comprehensive and contextualized information needed to help public health agencies and health care providers better identify potential outbreaks and more efficiently apply resources for prevention and treatment, as they work to protect our communities. In short, it helps healthcare providers make sense of data, enabling them to make smarter decisions more quickly.
This technology has been developed with a focus on protecting user privacy. Working with our partners, we can look at several data sources to analyze healthcare capacity, available resources, symptoms and diagnosed cases. Our capabilities then allow us to help healthcare providers and government agencies significantly reduce response times and more efficiently deploy resources to help reduce suffering and loss of life.
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Trust Stamp Launches Biometric Privacy-Preserving Location Tracking, Tech5 and iComply Offer Remote ID Support
April 6, 2020
Trust Stamp's new tool works to provide biometric privacy-protecting location-tracking has been launched by Trust Stamp, leveraging the company’s core technology with cryptographic anonymization and matching algorithms.
The new Safe14.com is intended to support calculated quarantining that protects civil liberties. The company says current systems involve intrusive surveillance and economic damage, plus the creation of centralized databases of personal information. Safe14 transforms facial biometric data from periodic selfies irreversibly to establish the authenticated user’s “Trusted Presence” with a multi-modality location beacon. Location data is encrypted for storage with only tokenized identity data. The data is interrogated on a zero-knowledge-proof basis, by means of the user presenting a QR code stored in the mobile device, along with the biometric selfie.
Trust Stamp recently patented a touchless fingerprint biometric solution to serve public health, information security, and individual privacy needs. Trust Stamp says the new technology launch builds on its Humanitarian and Development collaborations with Mastercard, which recently made a strategic investment in the company.
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Apple and Google are Working Together to Help Track the Coronavirus
April 10, 2020
Apple and Google are partnering to help authorities track exposure to the coronavirus using Bluetooth technology.
The two Silicon Valley giants will work on a platform to enable contact tracing, a measure that identifies people who have been exposed to the virus and who they have been in contact with.
The companies will first release interfaces built on existing public health apps in May that can work on iOS or Android systems, followed by a more comprehensive platform in the coming months to which users will be able to opt in.
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Multiple State AGs Looking into Zoom's Privacy Practices
April 3, 2020
Multiple state attorneys general are banding together to scrutinize virtual conferencing company Zoom’s privacy and security practices, the biggest sign to date that its regulatory woes are ballooning as its popularity surges during the coronavirus outbreak.
The scrutiny follows a
New York Times report
that New York Attorney General Tish James had pressed Zoom to spell out whether it has taken added steps to boost security on the platform as its usage has skyrocketed.
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan addressed such criticisms in a
blog post, saying the company plans to shift its resources for the next three months toward improving privacy and security features.
Zoom 90-Day Security Plan
Zoom is continuing their steps for improved privacy and security, with the most recent
progress report published on April 15th. Users can view their 90-day plan and see a scheduling of previous and future responses where they address concerns and highlight useful tools. The company also published a
Security Whitepaper, available on their security
site.
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CANNABIS PROJECT ANNOUNCEMENT
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CANNABIS LAW & POLICY VIRTUAL SUMMIT
Tuesday, April 21
11:30am – 4pm (ET)
The AG Alliance Cannabis Project is hosting a Cannabis Law & Policy Virtual Summit to educate national Attorneys General on key issues within the cannabis, hemp, and CBD marketplace and to facilitate dialogue among diverse stakeholders.
CONTACT FOR MORE DETAILS:
Austin Bernstein,
Cannabis Project Director
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STIMULUS PROTECTIONS
Bipartisan Coalition of Attorneys General send letter to Federal Government regarding CARES Act funds
- New York Attorney General James led 25 AGs in sending a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, requesting the department take immediate action to ensure stimulus payments go to American families and not debt collectors.
- Nebraska Attorney General Peterson warned consumers to proceed with caution when garnishing stimulus checks, that state law exempts certain income and property from execution and attachment by creditors and debt collectors
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Attorneys General defend citizens against fraudulent marketing amid the COVID-19 pandemic
- Texas Attorney General Paxton partnered with the FTC, urging a local company to cease claims that their products can prevent and cure the coronavirus.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION
Data suggests that COVID-19 has caused domestic abuse to increase worldwide; Attorneys General fight to protect citizens at home
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COVID-19 TASK FORCE & ACTIONS
Attorneys General partner with local, state and federal investigators to form COVID-19 state-specific task forces focused on fraud.
- Nevada Attorney General Ford and Former Chief of Staff for the Nevada AG and U.S. Attorney, Nicholas A. Trutanich, this week announced the Nevada COVID-19 task force. This partnership allows them to share information and resources to protect Nevadans from those using the COVID-19 pandemic to take advantage of consumers.
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT:
PRIVATE SECTOR ACTIONS
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HEALTHCARE
- GSK and Sanofi announced a collaboration to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, using innovative technology from both companies. GSK will contribute its proven pandemic adjuvant technology and Sanofi will contribute its S-protein COVID-19 antigen, which is based on recombinant DNA technology.
- Centene announced a series of investments to address the social determinants of health for vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as a series of initiatives aimed at supporting the disability community affected by the coronavirus. Actions include
- Donating One Million meals per month for 12 months in partnership with Feeding America;
- Sending out 50,000 gift cards to those in need for essential healthcare and educational items in their partnership with AT&T.
ECONOMIC PROTECTION
- RMAI sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin offering full support of recent AG efforts to ensure that direct funds distributed to households through the CARES Act are not subject debt collection.
- CVS Health is working to recruit 50,000 recently laid-off staffers from other companies amid the coronavirus by creating dedicated hiring websites for employees with a shortened hiring process.
- Partnerships include Gap Inc., Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc. and dozens more.
- Comcast Business launched a FREE webinar series designed to help businesses navigate the economy and remain productive during COVID-19. Three programs remain in this five-part series; Interested businesses can view full details and register here.
- AT&T created a comprehensive COVID-19 response plan aimed at protecting customers, first responders, health care workers, teachers and other essential workers depending on them for connectivity. The company is also giving voluntary call-center employees the option to work-from-home.
LEGAL COMMUNITY
- Edelson PC has created a COVID-19 Task Force, which is identifying various issues that need immediate attention. In the majority of instances, they are offering to bring and handle these cases pro bono, whether on behalf of individuals, classes or state regulators, including AGs. They are also providing pro bono services to state legislators to help with emergency legislation, as needed.
- In a joint effort to aid Michigan AG Nessel, Edelson PC and Saxena White PA arranged for the donation of 3,500 face masks, 3,000 plastic face shields and hundreds of individual pocket-sized hand sanitizers to southeast Michigan.
CANNABIS
- AG Alliance and Thomson Reuters held a Cannabis Law & Policy webinar on March 12th, hosted by D.C. AG Karl Racine. For more information and an overview of topics and information covered, please read this blog post from Gina Jurva, webinar moderator and manager of Thomson Reuters Thought Leadership Enterprise.
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CWAG Executive Committee
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Hector Balderas -
Mark Brnovich
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- Wayne Stenehjem -
Phil Weiser
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AG Alliance Co-Chairs
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Lawrence Wasden - Sean Reyes - Karl Racine
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