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Christopher J. Buontempo

Associate

[email protected]

+1.617.239.8322

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Chris is a corporate attorney and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP). He has significant experience handling legal and business issues relating to technology, data privacy and security, brand protection, contract negotiation, licensing, and product development. 

Chris has held several leadership positions at technology, consumer product, and e-commerce companies. Prior to joining Mintz, he was Director of Legal Affairs and Privacy Officer at The Predictive Index, a high-growth, SaaS-based personnel assessment and technology company with an expansive international reseller network. Chris provided strategic counsel to management and all business units on a broad range of corporate, technology, and privacy issues. 

On the privacy side, he delivered guidance across the organization on US and international data protection laws, including GDPR, as well as data privacy, data security, data collection and use, cross-border data transfers, security incident response, and vendor management. His general corporate work included drafting and negotiating a wide range technology agreements and commercial contracts, including distribution, reseller, and vendor agreements. He also managed an international intellectual property (IP) portfolio, negotiated licenses, advised the company’s marketing team on brand strategy and other issues, managed cross-border transactions, and provided legal oversight of M&A initiatives. In addition, Chris advised on employment law issues related to use of pre-employment and personnel assessments.

Earlier Chris was Corporate Counsel at Benrus, LLC, the watchmaking and lifestyle company. 
He managed the company’s legal function through the early-stage revival of its iconic retail brand — negotiating contracts, counseling on IP matters, and preparing for growth-stage funding. 

Chris was also Associate General Counsel for Alex and Ani, a prominent international retailer. During his two and a half years with the company, its revenue grew from $4.5 million to over $350 million. Chris attended to a wide range of commercial contracts, managed the company’s IP portfolio, advised on brand protection, and provided counsel on a wide range of additional matters, including privacy and employment issues. He began his legal career as an associate in the Providence, Rhode Island office of a large law firm. 
 

viewpoints

Dark Patterns come into focus as the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) issues September 4 Enforcement Advisory.

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The RIDTPPA provides privacy rights to Rhode Islanders and imposes obligations on covered entities largely in line with several other U.S. state privacy laws.

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Will the U.S. finally join most developed nations and pass a comprehensive federal privacy law?  Some believe this may be the year that the U.S. does just that.

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Learn more about the FTC's recent policy statement regarding the collection of consumer's biometric information.

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For the twelfth consecutive year, Mintz organized a pro bono clinic bringing together in-house counsel and nonprofit organizations. Following a training session on privacy, data security, and social media policies led by Mintz Member Geri L. Haight and Associate Christopher J. Buontempo, more than 35 in-house counsel teamed up in small groups to advise Boston-area nonprofits.
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Privacy law 101 includes a simple but important basic concept that organizations may only use personal information they collect for what they say they will, and how they say they will.  According to the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") and the Department of Justice ("DOJ"), Twitter got this wrong - and it is going to cost Twitter $150M as a result. On May 25, 2022, Twitter reached a proposed settlement with the DOJ and the FTC to resolve allegations that Twitter violated the FTC Act and an Order issued by the FTC in 2011 by misrepresenting how it would make use of users’ personal information, including users’ nonpublic contact information. 

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Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has signed the country’s fifth comprehensive consumer privacy act. Our breakdown below outlines key concepts on how the Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CDPA) will impact businesses, and several notes about how its provisions compare to other US state privacy laws.

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Utah is on the brink of joining California, Colorado, and Virginia to become the fourth state in the US to enact a major comprehensive privacy law.  On February 25, the Utah Senate passed the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (“UCPA”), and on March 2, it was passed by the Utah House. The Mintz privacy team has reviewed the UCPA for answers to business’ most pressing questions about how this new law will affect them if it is enacted.

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News & Press

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Mintz Associate Christopher Buontempo was quoted in an article published by Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Online on security plans, policies, and other privacy measures for businesses to protect data as they manage their newly-remote workforces during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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Events & Speaking