We are subject to U.S. federal, state, and international laws, regulations, and standards relating to the collection, use, disclosure, retention, security, transfer, and other processing of personal data. The legal and regulatory frameworks for privacy, data protection and security issues worldwide are rapidly evolving and as a result, implementation standards, potential fines, enforcement practices, and litigation risks are likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future.
- In the United States, state legislatures continue to propose and pass comprehensive privacy legislation, including data breach notification laws, personal data privacy laws, and consumer protection laws. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA"), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, gives California residents rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing, and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. The CCPA also provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. The CCPA has prompted a number of proposals for new federal and state-level privacy legislation, and in some states, efforts to pass comprehensive privacy laws have been successful. To date, numerous other states have enacted laws that impose privacy obligations that are similar to the CCPA and we also anticipate that more states will pass similar legislation. The existence of comprehensive privacy laws in different states in the country will add additional complexity, variation in requirements, restrictions, and potential legal risk, require additional investment of resources in compliance programs, impact strategies and the availability of previously useful data, and has resulted in and will result in increased compliance costs and/or changes in business practices and policies.
- Outside of the United States, virtually every jurisdiction in which we operate has established its own privacy, data protection and/or data security legal framework with which we or our customers must comply, including, but not limited to, the European Union ("EU").
?In the EU, data protection laws are stringent and continue to evolve, resulting in possible significant operational costs for internal compliance and risk to our business. The EU has adopted the GDPR, which imposes robust obligations upon covered companies, including heightened notice and consent requirements, greater rights of data subjects (e.g., the "right to be forgotten"), increased accountability measures, additional data breach notification and data security requirements, requirements for engaging third-party processors, and increased fines for non-compliance. Serious breaches of the GDPR (and similar data protection regulations in the United Kingdom) may result in monetary penalties of up to €20 million (or £17.5 million in the UK) or 4% of worldwide annual revenue, whichever is greater, for violations. In addition to the GDPR, other European legislative proposals and current laws and regulations apply to cookies and similar tracking technologies, electronic communications, and marketing, with an increased focus on online behavioral advertising.
?Many jurisdictions outside of Europe where we do business directly or through resellers today and may seek to expand our business in the future, are also considering or have enacted comprehensive data protection legislation, cybersecurity legislation, or both. These include Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and United Arab Emirates.
- We are subject to various data transfer rules related to our ability to transfer data from one country to another. This may limit our ability to transfer certain data or require us to guarantee a certain level of protection when transferring data from one country to another.
- We are also subject to data localization laws in certain countries that may, for example, require personal information of citizens to be collected, stored, and modified only within that country. These and similar regulations may interfere with our intended business activities, inhibit our ability to expand into those markets, require modifications to our offerings or services, or prohibit us from continuing to offer services in those markets without significant additional costs.
- Current or future laws, regulations, and ethical considerations related to the use of AI technology may impact our ability to provide insights from data and use certain data to develop our offerings. Our company has significant experience with AI and we have incorporated it within our offerings for several years. While we focus on using AI in a responsible, ethical, and legal manner, our use of AI and the impact of laws, regulations, and ethical considerations for AI generally, and as they apply to our customers, may also require us to develop new or different systems and processes to test for accuracy, bias, and other variables and could increase our burden and cost of research and development in this area. The use of certain AI technology can give rise to IP risks, including compromises to proprietary IP and IP infringement. Additionally, we expect to see increasing government and supranational regulation related to AI use and ethics, which may also significantly increase the burden and cost of research, development and compliance in this area. The rapid evolution of AI will require the application of significant resources to design, develop, test and maintain our products and services to help ensure that AI is implemented in accordance with applicable law and regulation and in a socially responsible manner and to minimize any real or perceived unintended harmful impacts. Our vendors may in turn incorporate AI tools into their own offerings, and the providers of these
AI tools may not meet existing or rapidly evolving regulatory or industry standards, including with respect to privacy and data security. Further, bad actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the use of AI, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal information, confidential information and IP. These factors may also impose burdensome and costly requirements on our ability and our customers' ability to utilize data in innovative ways. For example, the EU has adopted the AI Act and in the United States, new AI-related laws and rulemakings are underway or being proposed at the federal, state, and local levels. AI is evolving rapidly and if our use of AI and data were to draw controversy, it could harm our reputation and give rise to legal or regulatory action.
The regulatory framework both in the United States and internationally governing the collection, processing, storage, use and sharing of certain information, particularly financial and other personal information, is rapidly evolving and is likely to continue to be subject to uncertainty and varying interpretations. It is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with laws in other jurisdictions or which our existing data management practices or the features of our services and platform capabilities. We therefore cannot yet fully determine the impact these or future laws, rules, regulations, and industry standards may have on our business or operations.
In addition to the laws and regulations to which we are subject regarding the collection, processing, storage, use, and sharing of certain information, our contracts with customers include specific obligations regarding the protection of confidentiality and the permitted uses of personally identifiable and other proprietary information. We also publicly post documentation regarding our practices concerning the collection, processing, use, and disclosure of data. Although we endeavor to comply with our published policies and documentation and the various laws and regulations that we are subject to, we may at times fail to do so or be alleged to have failed to do so. Any failure or perceived failure by us, or any third parties with which we do business, to comply with our posted privacy policies and product documentation or privacy laws or regulations, changing consumer expectations, evolving laws, rules, and regulations, industry standards, or contractual obligations to which we or such third parties are or may become subject, may result in actions or other claims against us by governmental entities or private actors, the expenditure of substantial costs, time and other resources or the imposition of significant fines, penalties or other liabilities, which could, individually or in the aggregate, materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, any such action, particularly to the extent we were found to be guilty of violations or otherwise liable for damages, would damage our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Additionally, our customers may be subject to differing privacy laws, rules, and legislation, which may mean that they require us to be bound by varying contractual requirements applicable to certain other jurisdictions. Adherence to such contractual requirements may impact our collection, use, processing, storage, sharing, and disclosure of various types of information, including financial information and other personal information, and may mean we become bound by, or voluntarily comply with, self-regulatory or other industry standards relating to these matters that may further change as laws, rules, and regulations evolve. Complying with these requirements and changing our policies and practices may be onerous and costly, and we may not be able to respond quickly or effectively to regulatory, legislative, and other developments. These changes may in turn impair our ability to offer our existing or planned features, products, and services and/or increase our cost of doing business. As we expand our customer base, these requirements may vary from customer to customer, further increasing the cost of compliance and doing business.