1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |IoT Goes Federal under Newly Signed Law

IoT Goes Federal under Newly Signed Law

Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.10.20

Last week, the President signed the Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act into law, kicking off a multi-year process that will culminate in the first-ever federal requirements for IoT devices. Under the law, the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) is now charged with drafting and finalizing security requirements for IoT devices, as well as guidelines for managing disclosures about those devices’ security vulnerabilities. In two short years, the federal government will then be prohibited from procuring IoT devices unless (1) the devices meet the pending NIST requirements; or (2) the devices are granted a formal waiver by an agency Chief Information Officer. In addition to creating yet another cybersecurity regime for the government contracting community, the law will create a new benchmark for consumer-facing companies to consider when assessing and complying with the growing number of states imposing their own “reasonable security” requirements for IoT devices.

Insights

Client Alert | 3 min read | 05.20.25

DOJ’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative Bolsters Threat of False Claims Act Enforcement Under “Anti-DEI” Executive Order

On May 19, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a Memorandum creating the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative that will “utilize the False Claims Act to investigate and . . . pursue claims against any recipient of federal funds that knowingly violates federal civil rights laws.” According to the Memorandum, though racial discrimination has “always been illegal,” the Administration posits that “many corporations and schools continue to adhere to racist policies and preferences—albeit camouflaged with cosmetic changes that disguise their discriminatory nature.” In an effort to prevent federal funds from being used in connection with or support of these purportedly racist policies and preferences, the Initiative will wield the power of the False Claims Act, the government’s most powerful tool to fight fraud, waste, and abuse....