The new compliance cottage industry surrounds artificial intelligence. We are at such an early stage of AI development — companies are still figuring out how they can employ the technology. Some industries, such as financial institutions, however, have been using AI for fraud detection and other issues. I expect financial institutions will set the tone for much of compliance practices around AI. There is no...
News recently published by multiple media outlets suggest that certain subcomponents incorporated into a variety of Volkswagen-owned vehicles—including cars manufactured by luxe brands Porsche, Bentley and Audi—were sourced from an unspecified region in “western China” (“PRC”) presumed to be the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (“XUAR”). According to these sources, Volkswagen itself was not aware of the origin of the part, which, according to the Financial...
Bobby Butler, a well-known and long-time compliance professional, joins Michael Volkov for a thought-provoking discussion on the rise of the compliance profession. Bobby has had a long and successful career in compliance. He provides important insights into the evolution of the compliance profession, strategies for building compliance programs and the future of compliance and the compliance profession.
On January 1, 2024, the long-awaited EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) begins to take effect. The CSRD is intended to redefine corporate social responsibility expectations for both in-scope companies and out-of-scope third-parties with whom they transact. This regulatory overhaul concentrates enforcement efforts on global supply chains, requiring in-scope companies to take an active role in safeguarding human rights not just within their own operations,...
Rewards programs have become ubiquitous in recent years. These so-called loyalty management programs exist to nudge customers or employees in a particular direction; a company’s workers might be inclined to exercise more regularly, for example, if they know there is a $5 gift card waiting for them after a specified number of gym check-ins. Their rapid expansion and cash-equivalent, pre-paid nature make loyalty management programs...
The Volkov Law Group is pleased to have participated in both the curriculum development phase and the content creation phase with our dear friends at Diligent, addressing the timely issue of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in the corporate arena with a focus on reinforcing basic ethics and compliance principles. Through a series of courses—aptly titled “AI Ethics and Oversight Board Certification”—participants will receive feedback from a...
It is easy to get lost in the technology world of cyber security – the information technology business relies on lots of acronyms, techno-speak and function-specific terminology. In responding to a cyber and data security risk profile, laypersons expect to hear a lot about technology-driven solutions. In fact, a lot of time is spent reviewing, assessing and selecting specific solutions to incorporate into an overall...
Webinar: Cybersecurity and Compliance — A New Path Forward July 25, 2023, 12 Noon EST Sign-Up Here Companies face a broad array of cybersecurity risks — from internal actor mistakes to sophisticated ransomware attacks. Chief Information Security Officers (“CISOs”) are being asked to mitigate these risks. Luckily, Chief Compliance Officers (“CCOs”) have become natural partners for CISOs, and are collaborating to design and implement effective governance...
Prosecuting white collar crimes is a “mind game” in more ways than one. This is another in my long series of profound grasps of the obvious. As a former federal prosecutor, the difference between a crime and compliant behavior often turns on the specific mind or intent of the actor. Unless you are a mind reader (i.e. Kreskin for you boomers), this is often a...
One of my favorite New Year postings is under the title of “Person” of the Year. In the past, I have singled out the Chief Compliance Officers, Chief Ethics Officers, Prosecutors, and Whistleblowers. For 2021, the choice is obvious – the most important trend is the rise of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) programs. In second place, I would choose Supply Chain Management and Risks,...
