Top 4 Things to Pay Attention to in 2020 – A Retrospective Look at Our Predictions

As we kickoff 2021, I think it is fair to say that none of us could have predicted many of last year’s key events. A pandemic, social justice uproars, political turmoil, and geopolitical cybersecurity wars helped shape the start of another decade. With that being said, we find that reflection is an important part of progress and as such would like to reflect on last year’s blog Top 4 Things to Pay Attention to in 2020.

Prediction #1: The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

While the CCPA had a few more stops and starts than we had anticipated, the office of the California Attorney General began enforcement of this Act on July 1, 2020. For most consumers this meant dealing with the nuisance of accepting or denying the cookies consent forms that seemingly showed up on each webpage we visited. Most professionals in the data privacy industry would say, this is a small price to pay for increased control of one’s personal data.

For businesses operating in the state of California, that meant a whole new set of rules to follow when it comes to data privacy. What is truly important about this act is the downstream impact it has and will have on businesses acquisition and usage of consumer data. Will each state individually create their own data privacy laws? Will the United States create a universal privacy law? How will the CCPA and other legislation continue to evolve as new forms of data become available?

For additional details about The California Consumer Privacy Act, please refer to this link: https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa

Prediction #2: 59^th Quadrennial Presidential Election

Regardless of how you feel about the election results, I feel confident in saying we are all happy that bad actors (foreign or domestic) did not (to our current knowledge) have an impact on the results. That being said, we did not make it through the election period completed unaffected. President Trump’s campaign website was breached and just the other week the Capital Building was stormed during a riot, possibility compromising sensitive data. Electronic surveillance at the Capital is now being used to track down those who broke the law.

Data privacy and cybersecurity will continue to be a major focus into 2021 and beyond. Organizations and governments alike will need to continuously optimize their pre as well as post breach strategies and techniques. As we have been reminded time and again, even the largest organizations are not invincible when it comes to preventing cybersecurity events. The real question is how fast can you react and minimize the possible damage?

Prediction #3: 2020 Summer Olympics

Unfortunately, we must admit that this prediction did fall somewhat flat this year. With no Olympics in the year of 2020, we will take a rain check on our predictions until the Summer of 2021 and revisit.

Prediction# 4: Increase in Breadth and Depth of Devices

The pandemic forced us to introduce new technologies and work in ways that we never had before. As such, the breadth and depth of devices and software has exploded over the last nine plus months. Working from home has reintroduced the challenges of keeping work documents off personal devices. Additionally, video conferencing (Zoom, Skype/Teams, GoToMeeting, etc.) and enterprise communication tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, etc.) have become further entrenched in our everyday lives. Whether it is preserving data, moving full organizations to completely remote work, or communicating strictly via phone and video, I think it is fair to say we are all still learning as we go.

While 2021 will present many of the same data privacy, cybersecurity, and eDiscovery challenges we saw in 2020, we now have even more experience and are able to handle them in a much more informed manner. Should you have any questions or need assistance with electronically stored information, please do not hesitate to reach us by phone at 215.222.3101.

About Capsicum Group:

Capsicum was founded in 2000 within the law firm of Pepper Hamilton, LLP. (now Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP.) Charged with providing technology consulting support to their clients, we soon realized that the need to understand, collection, and forensically analyze digital data went far beyond what we were handling: We began our journey as general technologist, but quickly became specialists in digital forensics.

Our areas of expertise soon evolved and expanded into forensic investigations, cybersecurity, discovery, electronic and paper recovery, security, regulatory compliance, and incident response retainers. In 2002, Capsicum became an independent consulting company that focuses on these core services. Employing high-caliber experts and a unique understanding of data, technology, and the law, we support organizations that need technological proficiency to run their companies when they come face-to-face with difficult tech, legal, and regulatory situations. Capsicum is located in Philadelphia, PA; New York, NY; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Dallas, TX; and Los Angeles, CA.