Attorney Zach Heck and paralegal Amanda Smith of Taft’s Privacy and Data Security Practice group have successfully passed their exams for the Certified Information Privacy Professional Certification (CIPP) offered by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. The CIPP is the “gold standard” for privacy professionals and is recognized around the world. Smith, earned the CIPP/US certification, which covers privacy and security compliance in the private sector in the United States. Heck, who holds the CIPP/US certification, added the CIPP/E certification. The CIPP/E encompasses pan-European and national data protection laws, key privacy terminology and practical concepts concerning the protection of personal data and trans-border data flows.

Heck assists clients in the areas of privacy compliance, defense litigation, class action defense and guidance in the aftermath of an information security event, including data breach. He has experience advising clients with respect to FTC investigations, federal privacy regulations such as HIPAA, FCRA, TCPA and GLBA, as well as state laws governing personally identifiable information. Heck provides regulatory analysis, risk management, policy development, training and audits. He is a frequent speaker and writer on cutting-edge data privacy and cybersecurity issues.