Our business involves the collection, storage, processing, and transmission of confidential information, customer and other personal data. We have built our reputation on the premise that our platform offers our customers a secure way to interact with their fan base. As a result, any actual or perceived security breach of us or our third-party partners may:
- harm our reputation and brand;- result in our systems or services being unavailable and interrupt the operations of our customers;- result in improper disclosure of data and violations of applicable privacy and other laws;- result in significant regulatory scrutiny, investigations, fines, penalties, and other legal, regulatory, and financial exposure;- cause us to incur significant remediation costs;- lead to theft or irretrievable loss of monies being transmitted to our customers;- reduce customer confidence in, or decreased use of, our products and services;- divert the attention of management from the operation of our business;- result in significant compensation or contractual penalties from us to our customers or third parties as a result of losses to them or claims by them; and - adversely affect our business and operating results.
Further, any actual or perceived breach or cybersecurity attack directed at others, whether or not we are directly impacted, could lead to a general loss of customer confidence in doing business online or in the use of technology to conduct transactions, which could negatively impact us.
An increasing number of organizations, including large merchants, businesses, technology companies, and financial institutions, as well as government institutions, have disclosed breaches of their information security systems, some of which have involved sophisticated and highly targeted attacks, including on their websites, mobile applications, and infrastructure.
Attacks upon systems across a variety of industries are increasing in their frequency, persistence, and sophistication, and, in many cases, are being conducted by sophisticated, well-funded, and organized groups and individuals, including state actors. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized, improper, or illegal access to systems and information (including customers' personal data), disable or degrade services, or sabotage systems are constantly evolving, may be difficult to detect quickly, and often are not recognized or detected until after they have been launched against a target. These attacks may occur on our systems or those of our third-party service providers or customers. Certain types of cyberattacks could harm us even if our systems are left undisturbed. For example, attacks may be designed to deceive employees and service providers into releasing control of our systems to a hacker, while others may aim to introduce computer viruses or malware into our systems with a view to stealing confidential or proprietary data. Additionally, certain threats are designed to remain dormant or undetectable until launched against a target and we may not be able to implement adequate preventative measures.
Although we have developed systems and processes designed to protect the data we manage for our customers, prevent data loss and other security breaches, effectively respond to known and potential risks, there can be no assurance that these security measures will provide absolute security or prevent breaches or attacks. Certain threat actors may be supported by significant financial and technological resources, making them even more sophisticated and difficult to detect. Further, there has been an increase in such activities as a result of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic. As a result, our costs and the resources we devote to protecting against these advanced threats and their consequences may continue to increase over time.