We and our third-party providers access, collect, store and transmit sensitive and confidential Company, customer and employee data and information, including consumer preferences and credit card information, all of which are subject to demanding and continuously evolving privacy and security laws and regulations. A number of jurisdictions where we do business have enacted or are considering new privacy and data protection laws which impact our responsibilities with respect to this data, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah and Virginia. In addition, advances in artificial intelligence technologies, which attackers may use, increase vulnerability to cyberattacks, cyber incidents or privacy incidents.
We have taken measures to help prevent a breach of our networks and environments and comply with cybersecurity and privacy requirements by implementing safeguards and procedures designed to protect the security, confidentiality and integrity of such information. In addition, we have strengthened our contracts to require, where possible, our third-party providers to implement administrative, physical and technical safeguards and procedures aligned to industry best practices.
Despite the fact that we have implemented measures to prevent intentional or inadvertent information security breaches and requested our third-party providers to do the same, these measures cannot completely eliminate cybersecurity risk. Like many companies, we, as well as several of our vendors, have suffered breaches of our cybersecurity in the past and are at risk for such breaches in the future. Security breaches and cyber incidents, whether at our Company, our third-party suppliers and service providers or other retailers, could expose us to loss, unauthorized release or disclosure of customer, employee or Company confidential information, litigation, investigation, regulatory enforcement action, penalties and fines, orders to stop any alleged noncompliant activity, information technology system failures or network disruptions, increased cyber-protection and remediation costs, financial losses, potential liability, or loss of customers', employees' or third-party providers' trust and business, any of which could adversely impact our reputation, competitiveness and financial performance. Concerns about our data management practices, including the collection, use, retention, security or disclosure of personal information or other privacy-related matters, even if unfounded, could subject the Company to regulatory inquiries and damage our reputation, adversely affecting our operating results.