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Hensey A. Fenton III

Hensey Fenton specializes in providing advice and guidance to clients on legislative and regulatory strategies. Hensey counsels clients on a myriad of issues in the policy and regulatory space, including issues involving cybersecurity, financial services, artificial intelligence, digital assets, international trade and development, and tax.

Another facet of Hensey’s practice involves cutting-edge legal issues in the cybersecurity space. Having published scholarly work in the areas of cybersecurity and cyberwarfare, Hensey keeps his finger on the pulse of this fast-developing legal field. His Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law article, "Proportionality and its Applicability in the Realm of Cyber Attacks," was highlighted by the Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal as one of the most important and timely articles on cyber, technology and the law. Hensey counsels clients on preparing for and responding to cyber-based attacks. He regularly engages with government and military leaders to develop national and global strategies for complex cyber issues and policy challenges.

Hensey’s practice also includes advising international clients on various policy, legal and regulatory challenges, especially those challenges facing developing nations in the Middle East. Armed with a distinct expertise in Middle Eastern foreign policy and the Arabic language, Hensey brings a multi-faceted approach to his practice, recognizing the specific policy and regulatory concerns facing clients in the region.

Hensey is also at the forefront of important issues involving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). He assists companies in developing inclusive and sustainable DEI strategies that align with and incorporate core company values and business goals.

Prior to joining Covington, Hensey served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Judge Johnnie B. Rawlinson, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also served as a Diplomatic Fellow in the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Representation (i.e. Embassy) in Washington, DC.

On April 17, the Nebraska governor signed the Nebraska Data Privacy Act (the “NDPA”) into law.  Nebraska is the latest state to enact comprehensive privacy legislation, joining CaliforniaVirginiaColoradoConnecticutUtahIowaIndiana, Tennessee, Montana, OregonTexasFloridaDelaware

Continue Reading Nebraska Enacts Nebraska Data Privacy Act

New Jersey and New Hampshire are the latest states to pass comprehensive privacy legislation, joining CaliforniaVirginiaColoradoConnecticutUtahIowaIndiana, Tennessee, Montana, OregonTexasFlorida, and Delaware.  Below is a summary of key takeaways. 

New Jersey

On January 8, 2024, the New Jersey state senate passed S.B. 332 (“the Act”), which was signed into law on January 16, 2024.  The Act, which takes effect 365 days after enactment, resembles the comprehensive privacy statutes in Connecticut, Colorado, Montana, and Oregon, though there are some notable distinctions. 

  • Scope and Applicability:  The Act will apply to controllers that conduct business or produce products or services in New Jersey, and, during a calendar year, control or process either (1) the personal data of at least 100,000 consumers, excluding personal data processed for the sole purpose of completing a transaction; or (2) the personal data of at least 25,000 consumers where the business derives revenue, or receives a discount on the price of any goods or services, from the sale of personal data. The Act omits several exemptions present in other state comprehensive privacy laws, including exemptions for nonprofit organizations and information covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
  • Consumer Rights:  Consumers will have the rights of access, deletion, portability, and correction under the Act.  Moreover, the Act will provide consumers with the right to opt out of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, and profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning the consumer.  The Act will require controllers to develop a universal opt out mechanism by which consumers can exercise these opt out rights within six months of the Act’s effective date.
  • Sensitive Data:  The Act will require consent prior to the collection of sensitive data. “Sensitive data” is defined to include, among other things, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, mental or physical health condition, sex life or sexual orientation, citizenship or immigration status, status as transgender or non-binary, and genetic or biometric data.  Notably, the Act is the first comprehensive privacy statute other than the California Consumer Privacy Act to include financial information in its definition of sensitive data.  The Act defines financial information as an “account number, account log-in, financial account, or credit or debit card number, in combination with any required security code, access code, or password that would permit access to a consumer’s financial account.”
  • Opt-In Consent for Certain Processing of Personal Data Concerning Teens:  Unless a controller obtains a consumer’s consent, the Act will prohibit the controller from processing personal data for targeted adverting, sale, or profiling where the controller has actual knowledge, or willfully disregards, that the consumer is between the ages of 13 and 16 years old.
  • Enforcement and Rulemaking:  The Act grants the New Jersey Attorney General enforcement authority.  The Act also provides controllers with a 30-day right to cure for certain violations, which will sunset eighteen months after the Act’s effective date.  Like the comprehensive privacy laws in California and Colorado, the Act authorizes rulemaking under the state Administrative Procedure Act.  Specifically, the Act requires the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety to promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act that are necessary to effectuate the Act’s provisions.  

Continue Reading New Jersey and New Hampshire Pass Comprehensive Privacy Legislation

Ahead of its December 8 board meeting, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) has issued draft risk assessment regulations.  The CPPA has yet to initiate the formal rulemaking process and has stated that it expects to begin formal rulemaking next year, at which time it will also consider draft regulations covering “automated decisionmaking technology” (ADMT), cybersecurity audits, and revisions to existing regulations.  Accordingly, the draft risk assessment regulations are subject to change.  Below are the key takeaways:

When a Risk Assessment is Required: The draft regulations would require businesses to conduct a risk assessment before processing consumers’ personal information in a manner that “presents significant risk to consumers’ privacy.”  The draft regulations identify several activities that would present such risk:

  • Selling or sharing personal information;
  • Processing sensitive personal information (except in certain situations involving employees and independent contractors);
  • Using ADMT (1) for a decision that produces legal or similarly significant effects concerning a consumer, (2) to profile a consumer who is acting in their capacity as an employee, independent contractor, job applicant, or student, (3) to profile a consumer while they are in a public place, or (4) for profiling for behavioral advertising; or
  • Processing a consumer’s personal information if the business has actual knowledge the consumer is under 16.

Continue Reading CPPA Releases Draft Risk Assessment Regulations

This quarterly update summarizes key legislative and regulatory developments in the second quarter of 2023 related to key technologies and related topics, including Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), the Internet of Things (“IoT”), connected and automated vehicles (“CAVs”), data privacy and cybersecurity, and online teen safety.

Artificial Intelligence

AI continued to be an area of significant interest of both lawmakers and regulators throughout the second quarter of 2023.  Members of Congress continue to grapple with ways to address risks posed by AI and have held hearings, made public statements, and introduced legislation to regulate AI.  Notably, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) revealed his “SAFE Innovation framework” for AI legislation.  The framework reflects five principles for AI – security, accountability, foundations, explainability, and innovation – and is summarized here.  There were also a number of AI legislative proposals introduced this quarter.  Some proposals, like the National AI Commission Act (H.R. 4223) and Digital Platform Commission Act (S. 1671), propose the creation of an agency or commission to review and regulate AI tools and systems.  Other proposals focus on mandating disclosures of AI systems.  For example, the AI Disclosure Act of 2023 (H.R. 3831) would require generative AI systems to include a specific disclaimer on any outputs generated, and the REAL Political Advertisements Act (S. 1596) would require political advertisements to include a statement within the contents of the advertisement if generative AI was used to generate any image or video footage.  Additionally, Congress convened hearings to explore AI regulation this quarter, including a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing in May titled “Oversight of A.I.: Rules for Artificial Intelligence.”

There also were several federal Executive Branch and regulatory developments focused on AI in the second quarter of 2023, including, for example:

  • White House:  The White House issued a number of updates on AI this quarter, including the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s strategic plan focused on federal AI research and development, discussed in greater detail here.  The White House also requested comments on the use of automated tools in the workplace, including a request for feedback on tools to surveil, monitor, evaluate, and manage workers, described here.
  • CFPB:  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a spotlight on the adoption and use of chatbots by financial institutions.
  • FTC:  The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) continued to issue guidance on AI, such as guidance expressing the FTC’s view that dark patterns extend to AI, that generative AI poses competition concerns, and that tools claiming to spot AI-generated content must make accurate disclosures of their abilities and limitations.
  • HHS Office of National Coordinator for Health IT:  This quarter, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) released a proposed rule related to certified health IT that enables or interfaces with “predictive decision support interventions” (“DSIs”) that incorporate AI and machine learning technologies.  The proposed rule would require the disclosure of certain information about predictive DSIs to enable users to evaluate DSI quality and whether and how to rely on the DSI recommendations, including a description of the development and validation of the DSI.  Developers of certified health IT would also be required to implement risk management practices for predictive DSIs and make summary information about these practices publicly available.

Continue Reading U.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – Second Quarter 2023

This quarterly update summarizes key legislative and regulatory developments in the fourth quarter of 2022 related to Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), the Internet of Things (“IoT”), connected and autonomous vehicles (“CAVs”), and data privacy and cybersecurity.

Artificial Intelligence

In the last quarter of 2022, the annual National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”), which contained AI-related provisions, was enacted into law.  The NDAA creates a pilot program to demonstrate use cases for AI in government. Specifically, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (“Director of OMB”) must identify four new use cases for the application of AI-enabled systems to support modernization initiatives that require “linking multiple siloed internal and external data sources.” The pilot program is also meant to enable agencies to demonstrate the circumstances under which AI can be used to modernize agency operations and “leverage commercially available artificial intelligence technologies that (i) operate in secure cloud environments that can deploy rapidly without the need to replace operating systems; and (ii) do not require extensive staff or training to build.” Finally, the pilot program prioritizes use cases where AI can drive “agency productivity in predictive supply chain and logistics,” such as predictive food demand and optimized supply, predictive medical supplies and equipment demand, predictive logistics for disaster recovery, preparedness and response.

At the state level, in late 2022, there were also efforts to advance requirements for AI used to make certain types of decisions under comprehensive privacy frameworks.  The Colorado Privacy Act draft rules were updated to clarify the circumstances that require controllers to provide an opt-out right for the use of automated decision-making and requirements for assessments of profiling decisions.  In California, although the California Consumer Privacy Act draft regulations do not yet cover automated decision-making, the California Privacy Protection Agency rules subcommittee provided a sample list of related questions concerning this during its December 16, 2022 board meeting.Continue Reading U.S. AI, IoT, CAV, and Privacy Legislative Update – Fourth Quarter 2022

On January 5, 2021, the CFPB’s (the “Bureau”) Taskforce on Federal Consumer Financial Law (the “Taskforce”) released a report (the “Report”) recommending how consumer protection in the financial marketplace may be improved.  Chartered by the Bureau in January of 2020, the Taskforce was charged with “examin[ing] the existing legal and


Continue Reading CFPB’s Taskforce on Federal Consumer Financial Law Releases Report