In WRAL TechWire, Steve Britt and Sarah Hutchins co-authored an article creating a data privacy plan. This article is the fifth of a five-part series on data privacy law to bring some clarity to one of the fastest growing and most complex areas of technology law.

"The first thing to say is you should not feel bad for not having instant recall of all of the pieces of the data privacy puzzle. For as complex as the legal landscape already is, only 10% of the states have enacted a data privacy law," they wrote. "But there is hope even there."

"For example, there have been many times over the past 2-3 years when it seemed very likely that a couple of states would pass a new data privacy law that included a private cause of action for violations of the law," they continued. "Sometimes a bill with this provision made it all the way through one body of a state legislature only to fail in the other body. Massachusetts has been headed this way for most of the past two years, but that effort seems to have stalled for now."

"Still, 14 states now authorize private causes of action for data breaches resulting from the failure to provide reasonable data security. That should send a chill down any CEO’s spine," they wrote. "Our advice to clients is, if you suffer a data breach, you should expect to be sued. So, make this a priority now while you can still control the agenda."

You can read the full article here: Cybersecurity & you: Developing a data privacy game plan

WRAL TechWire is a leading source of technology news for companies in the Carolinas.