Philly law firm releases mobile app for dealing with data breaches

An “emergency handbook” for dealing with stolen data.

It’s all over the headlines these days — huge companies falling victim to huge data breaches. And one local law firm has something designed to help out: a smartphone app.

“This would make their lives easier,” said Scott Vernick, a partner at Philadelphia’s Fox Rothschild LLP. 

Imagine the scenario in which this becomes useful: You’re an in-house lawyer at a big corporation and you get a call on your phone. It’s your boss, talking loudly and quickly. The financial information on millions of your customers has just been hacked. Damn.

If you had Fox Rothschild’s Data Breach 411 on your phone, you’d already have an emergency handbook for what to do next. If not, it’s free.

“What we wanted to do was create, in one app, easy access to these statutes,” said Vernick, referring to the various state laws covering data breach liability. “So that lawyers who deal in this area, particularly in-house lawyers or compliance professionals, would have a one-stop-shop app to find this information.”

It’s part resource, part marketing tool, Vernick admits. He says it puts Fox Rothschild on the forefront of data security law and could serve as a portal for potential clients.

For consumers like you and me, the message from Vernick is this: Cybercriminals these days are inventive enough to get around companies’ best intentions. Your best bet is to keep a close eye on your accounts.