Michelle Reed Quoted in Corporate Counsel on Safeguarding Employee Records

Corporate Counsel has quoted Akin Gump cybersecurity, privacy and data protection practice co-head Michelle Reed in the article “General Counsel Should Update Cyber, Data Privacy Policies as Employees Return to Offices.” The article looks at some of the steps general counsel should take with regard to safeguarding employee information as economies open up and employers begin to welcome their workers back.

The article reports that employers should update their company policies on handling health information if they opt to screen employees to see what kind of data may be on employees’ personal devices to mitigate the risk of a hack. Generally speaking, Reed said the best thing to do is collect as little data as possible and retain it for the least amount of time.

“If you send an employee home because of a fever and then have some kind of a data breach, you can only imagine what kind of backlash that could have,” Reed pointed out. Instead, she suggested that general counsel begin focusing on updating their employee privacy policies to inform employees what kind of data the company is holding on to.

“The best advice is to make sure you have a consistent policy to apply across the board,” Reed said. “If you’re consistent, you’re less likely to face regulatory scrutiny. That’s not to say that you won’t be sued, but if you limit the risk you can nip that kind of litigation in the bud.”