Lisa J. Sotto

• Appointed by Secretaries Mayorkas, Nielson, Johnson and Napolitano as Chair of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee (2012-present); previously served as Vice Chair (2005-2009).
• Testified in FTC Hearing on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century, focusing on the US framework related to consumer data security.
• Testified before the European Commission and five EU Supervisory Authorities during the Annual Review of the EU-US Privacy Shield.
• Selected by the European Commission and US Department of Commerce as one of a small group of 16 arbitrators in connection with the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework Binding Arbitration Program.
• Selected to represent the US Chamber of Commerce in Brussels to present “Global Best Practices Around Data Breach Notification,” a report prepared by Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP and the Chamber.
• Selected to represent the US Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia to present “Business Without Borders: The Importance of Cross-Border Data Transfers to Global Prosperity,” a report prepared by Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP and the Chamber.
• Selected as member of US government delegation to Brazil to brief Brazilian government officials on US privacy and cybersecurity policy.
• Selected to advise Commissioner Shimpo of the Personal Information Protection Commission of Japan on US privacy and data security law.
• Selected to advise the Serbian government on global data protection law and to draft the country’s data security and breach notification laws. Lisa was sponsored by the USAID-funded Judicial Reform and Government Accountability Project.
• Testified before US House of Representatives, “Data Protection and the Consumer: Who Loses When Your Data Takes a Hike?”
• Testified before US Department of Health & Human Services’ Subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics regarding RFID use in health care.
• Testified before CSIS Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th Presidency.
• Briefed the Secretary of the Army’s cyber strategic group on current issues in cybersecurity
• Briefed congressional staffers in preparation for data breach hearings held by the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity and Science and Technology, and in connection with drafting of a comprehensive privacy bill.
• Selected to advise DHS’s Homeland Security Science and Technology Committee (HSSTAC) regarding Third Party Pre-Screening Program.
• Selected by US Government Accountability Office to provide advice for a GAO study on data security breaches.
• Selected by US Office of Management and Budget to participate in OMB analysis of DHS Privacy Office.
• Routinely assists clients in developing policy positions regarding privacy and cybersecurity legislative and regulatory proposals both in the US and abroad.
• Advising over 80 clients on compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA) and other state privacy laws, including conducting due diligence, preparing gap analyses, developing remediation plans, and undertaking compliance projects.
• Advises clients on FTC, OCR, SEC and state Attorney General (including Multistate Taskforce) investigations and enforcement actions for alleged data security and privacy violations.
• Advises clients on managing FTC Consent Orders and CIDs in connection with data security incidents.
• Advises major health care providers and health plans on all aspects of HITECH security breaches, including OCR and state enforcement.
• Advises numerous major retailers, financial institutions and other companies on proactive cybersecurity readiness, including developing and conducting full-scale tabletop exercises for C-suite executives and boards of directors.
• Since 2005, advised on over 3,000 cybersecurity and data breach incidents in the United States and abroad, including many of the world’s seminal events (such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident and Yahoo! breaches affecting 3.5 billion user accounts).
• Advised well-known telecom manufacturer on extensive APT attack involving significant loss of intellectual property.
• Advised numerous major retailers on security breaches resulting from criminal tampering of POS terminals, including FBI involvement, forensic investigations, breach notification and PR efforts.
• Advised Texas State Comptroller in connection with well-known data security incident involving 3.5 million state workers.
• Advised many multinational clients on EU-US Data Privacy Framework and Privacy Shield certifications and annual recertifications.  
• Counseled numerous technology companies (both as publishers and advertisers) on data collection and sharing issues (including online behavioral advertising and Big Data initiatives), and the collection and use of geolocation data.
• Counseled major consumer goods companies on privacy issues associated with the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) and data collection from mobile devices.
• Advised multiple clients on employee monitoring and surveillance issues under federal, state and international laws, and prepared related policies (including BYOD).
• Conducted comprehensive privacy and information security policy assessments of major US electric utility and retail and consumer goods companies, including extensive data flow mapping, remediation, and development and implementation of multiple privacy, information security and records management policies and procedures. 
• Served as HIPAA privacy counsel to large health care system, including over 40 hospitals and long-term care and assisted living facilities, and major academic medical center.
• Developed and implemented comprehensive global records management program in over 100 countries for one of world's largest software companies (under court supervision), including preparation and implementation of policies and procedures, numerous records retention schedules, in-person and web-based training and audit program.  

Books

• Editor and lead author, Privacy and Cybersecurity Law Deskbook (1,400-page treatise and annual updates), Aspen Publishers, Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, 2010-2024
• Contributing editor and co-author, Data Protection & Privacy, United States, Getting the Deal Through, 2014-2021
• Co-author, Navigating The Digital Age, The Definitive Cybersecurity Guide For Directors and Officers Vol. 3, Lessons From Today’s World, How to Manage a Data Breach, January 2021
• Co-author, Cybersecurity and Data Breach, Bloomberg BNA Privacy & Data Security Portfolio Series, 2019
• Co-author, Chapter 11 European Union Data Protection, Data Security and Privacy Law: Combating Cyberthreats, West, Thomson Reuters, 2010
• Co-author, Data Security Handbook, ABA Section of Antitrust Law, 2008
• Co-author, Privacy Primer: An Overview of Global Data Protection Laws, 2006

Media Appearances

• Priestess of Privacy, Penn Law Journal (Sotto Featured), August 19, 2019
• Thought Leaders in Privacy, DataGuidance (Sotto interviewed), May 1, 2017
• Bisnow Morning Brief NY, “16 Things You Need to Know This Morning” (Sotto interviewed), February 6, 2017
• Electronic Discovery Institute’s Distance Learning Initiative, Information Security 101 (Sotto interviewed), February 2017
• Interview, Cybersecurity Risks and Legal Landscape, KUCI 88.9 FM (National Public Radio), “Privacy Piracy: Protect Your Privacy in the Information Age” (Sotto featured in 30-minute interview), July 25, 2016
• Mimesis Law’s Cy-Pher Executive Roundtable, What Do You Do With A Hacked Law Firm? (Sotto interviewed), June 10, 2016
• Mimesis Law’s Cy-Pher Executive Roundtable, Are Law Firms Soft Targets For Hackers? (Sotto interviewed), May 23, 2016
• CASE in POINT, “Understanding New Threats to Privacy and Cybersecurity” (Sotto interviewed), March 3, 2015
• HuffPost Live, Regulator Warns of 'Cyber 9/11' Attacks on Banks (Sotto interviewed), March 2, 2015
• AskForbes Twitter Chat, What Companies Should Do When They’re Breached, August 26, 2014
• Interview, Female Powerbrokers Q&A: Hunton & Williams’ Lisa Sotto, Law360, December 4, 2013
• Interview, Cybersecurity Risks and Legal Landscape, KUCI 88.9 FM (National Public Radio), Privacy Piracy: Protect Your Privacy in the Information Age (Sotto featured in 30-minute interview), June 3, 2013
• Interview, Should There Be a “Right to be Forgotten” Online? (Sotto interviewed), CBSnews.com, May 10, 2013
• Legal Trends Roundtable: Parts 1-5, 2013 The Year Ahead in Privacy and Data Security (Sotto interviewed), com, January-February 6, 2013
• Privacy Law Expert: Many Companies Waiting for a Hack (Sotto interviewed), Bloomberg Law, November 1, 2012
• Radio Television of Serbia, Data Protection Act Good (English translation) (Sotto interviewed), July 18, 2012
• B92 (Serbian radio and television broadcaster), Careful Sharing Data (English translation) (Sotto interviewed), July 18, 2012
• Privacy Bill of Rights: A Step Forward, “Can’t be a Back-Burner Issue,” Privacy Lawyer Argues (Sotto interviewed), March 20, 2012
• Interview (podcast), Privacy Bill of Rights: Not Be-All, End-All, Security Media Group, February 24, 2012
• Breach Response: The Legal View, Fast Action Can Save Reputation and Ensure Compliance (Sotto interviewed), com, December 15, 2011
• Breach Response: Reputational Risk, Your Organization’s Name Hinges on Data Value and Security (Sotto interviewed), com, November 30, 2011
• Law360, Q&A with Hunton & Williams’ Lisa Sotto (Sotto interviewed), November 4, 2011
• KUCI 88.9 FM, Protect Your Privacy in the Information Age (Sotto featured in 30-minute interview), September 19, 2011
• FoxLive.com, Is There Need for a Data Privacy Law? (Sotto interviewed), September 6, 2011
• End to End Trust, Microsoft Corporation, regarding cross industry collaboration and a safer Internet (Sotto interviewed), September 2009
• CNN’s American Morning, Privacy in the Obama Administration (Sotto interviewed), December 8, 2008
• ClearChannel Radio, “Tech Talk with Craig Peterson,” regarding the use of RFID in health care (Sotto interviewed), March 4, 2006