On December 28, 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued five new frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) that clarify the scope of Executive Order (“E.O.”) 13959, the basis for OFAC’s...more
One of the widest-ranging bills of the U.S. Congress’s legislative year, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA), is nearing the finish line as both the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved the...more
12/15/2020
/ CAATSA ,
China ,
Export Controls ,
Hong Kong ,
NATO ,
NDAA ,
Pentagon ,
Pipelines ,
Russia ,
Sanctions ,
Trump Administration ,
Turkey ,
US Department of State
Over the past summer, prompted by a bipartisan Congressional letter identifying a two‑decade‑old statute as an unused tool in confronting China’s strategy of “Military-Civilian Fusion,” the U.S. Department of Defense (“DOD”)...more
On October 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of State (“State”) broadened, yet again, the scope of sanctions applicable to Russian energy export pipeline projects, most notably the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a nearly finished...more
On Wednesday, October 14, 2020, the U.S. Department of State (“State”) submitted a report to the U.S. Congress, as required under section 5(a) of the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (“HKAA”), identifying foreign persons materially...more
10/19/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Hong Kong ,
Hong Kong Autonomy Act (HKAA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Sanctions ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
US Department of State
On Thursday, October 8, 2020, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin identified the Iranian financial sector as subject to the sectoral sanctions of Executive Order (“E.O.”) 13902, escalating the formidable Trump...more
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter demonstrations, the U.S. Congress has stepped up its election year efforts by threatening heightened sanctions on China and Russia. The latest such bill, the Hong Kong...more
7/10/2020
/ Autonomy ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Hong Kong ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Protests ,
Russia ,
Sanctions ,
SDN List ,
Secretary of State ,
Trump Administration
As widely reported, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (the “NPC”) completed its deliberation of and formally promulgated the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in...more
On June 5, 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued four new frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) that define key terms used in secondary sanctions added to the Iran sanctions...more
The United States has for decades utilized its economic clout to pursue sanctions against rogue governments and regimes, terrorists, narcotics traffickers, and human rights abusers. Now, with roughly half a year left in his...more
At a time of heightened concern about foreign ownership or control of U.S. telecommunication networks and supply chains, President Trump issued an Executive Order (“EO”) on April 4, 2020 formalizing the interagency Team...more
As we enter 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) may need time to catch its breath after an exceptionally busy year. 2019 showed us that the Trump Administration continues to rely on...more
As another sign of the escalating tensions between the United States and China, in addition to the long-running trade war, China this week suspended visits to Hong Kong by the U.S. military and vowed to impose sanctions on a...more
As another sign of the escalating tensions between the United States and China, in addition to the long-running trade war, China this week suspended visits to Hong Kong by the U.S. military and vowed to impose sanctions on a...more
On October 23, 2019, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) announced it was removing three Turkish government ministers and two Turkish government ministries from its list of Specially Designated...more
As part of the 18th anniversary of the September 11 attacks earlier this month, the Trump Administration effectively declared the old adage that “one person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter” does not apply with...more
Hot on the heels of the “Saturday Surprise,” the Trump Administration initiated “Monday Madness” earlier this week when the President issued new Executive Order (E.O.) 13884 blocking any property and interests in property of...more
8/9/2019
/ Blocked Entities ,
Blocked Person ,
CFIUS ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
General Licenses ,
Humanitarian Assistance ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela
On August 13, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Foreign Investment Review Risk Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”) as part of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for 2019 (“2019 NDAA”). FIRRMA is...more
What Companies Should Be Doing to Prepare for the Next Ransomware Attack -
The “WannaCry” cyberattack that struck in May paralyzed businesses, government entities, and Britain’s National Health Service, encrypting computer...more
EDITOR’S NOTE -
Summer blockbuster season is officially upon us. Have you seen Wonder Woman yet? What about Guardians of the Galaxy Part 2? It’s déjà vu all over again with Baywatch, Pirates of the Caribbean, Alien,...more
6/20/2017
/ Arbitration ,
Blockchain ,
BSA/AML ,
Consent Order ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Card Surcharges ,
Credit Cards ,
Credit Reporting Agencies ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Expressions Hair Design v Schneiderman ,
Fair Lending ,
FCC ,
FinTech ,
First Amendment ,
HERA ,
Lending ,
Money Laundering ,
Mortgages ,
OCC ,
Prepaid Payment Products ,
SCOTUS ,
Small Business ,
TCPA ,
Trump Administration
Welcome to the newest edition of Socially Aware, our Burton Awardwinning guide to the law and business of social media.
In this edition, we explore the threat to U.S. jobs posed by rapid advances in emerging technologies;...more
4/21/2017
/ Communications Decency Act ,
Copyright ,
Cross-Device ,
DMCA ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Mobile Apps ,
Safe Harbors ,
Snapchat ,
Stored Communications Act ,
Technology Sector ,
Tracking Systems ,
Trump Administration ,
WhatsApp