Privacy Law

‘Persistently unclear’ Skype privacy rules need clarification, Web user groups tell Microsoft

In an open letter to Microsoft and Skype leaders that went up on the Internet on Thursday, advocacy groups call for increased disclosure about the security features and privacy rules that apply to Skype. The letter says the popular phone service, which allows very low-cost international calls and video-conferencing to…

Jan 25, 2013 5:15 PM CST

Anonymous DNA study volunteers identified with online sleuthing; consent form covered possibility

Volunteers participating in the 1000 Genomes Project signed a consent form saying the researchers could not guarantee their privacy. At the time, the risk appeared remote, according to the director of a government entity that that helps fund and direct the project. Not any more. “We are in what I…

Jan 22, 2013 12:00 PM CST

Abortion Clinics’ Buffer Zones Affirmed by Federal Appeals Court

A federal appeals court has for the fourth time in 12 years affirmed a law creating buffer zones around Massachusetts abortion clinics. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-0 ruling (PDF) Wednesday, said the law protects the rights of prospective patients and clinic employees without infringing…

Jan 11, 2013 6:10 PM CST

Judge Rescinds Order to Seize Home Computers of Juror Accused of Web-Surfing During Trial

Updated: A federal judge in Florida has reconsidered an ex parte order issued on Friday, telling marshals to seize the home computers of a juror who was quoted in a newspaper article as saying that she had conducted Internet research on the defendant in a high-profile trial. However, U.S. District…

Jan 8, 2013 10:59 PM CST

Digital Dangers: ABA Pursues Practical and Legislative Responses to Cybersecurity Threats

A water treatment facility releases millions of gallons of wastewater into an environmentally sensitive river system. Power fails in a northern city already struggling to stay warm during a cold spell. Information systems we increasingly rely on, including cellphones and email, are blacked out and families have no means to…

Jan 1, 2013 10:30 AM CST

Law Firm Creates Think Tank to Study Analytics

Analytics is the discovery and communication of meaningful patterns in data. With digital technology, more data is discoverable on every individual, and those who use it have methods of application, computer programming and research to produce what Martin Abrams calls “big data.” Abrams is the president of the Centre for…

Jan 1, 2013 10:00 AM CST

Call Ahead: Officers Use Cellphone Towers to Spot Offenders

Melvin “Big Foot” Skinner and his drug-trafficking buddies enjoyed a good long run, hauling tons of marijuana from Arizona to Tennessee for five years and making millions of dollars doing it, partly by relying on cellphones they believed would keep them one step ahead of the law. But try as…

Jan 1, 2013 9:08 AM CST

Millions of Names Likely Missing from FBI Database for Gun Background Checks

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that the federal government cannot force state officials to participate in the background check system for gun ownership, leading to the omission of likely millions of names. Nineteen states have submitted fewer than 100 records of those with mental illness, while Rhode Island…

Dec 21, 2012 12:52 PM CST

As Freaked-Out Social Media Users Exit, Instagram Says Newest Service Terms Will End ‘Confusion’

Updated: In response to social media users freaking out over new Instagram terms of service that seemingly give the site the right to use an individual’s photos—“along with any associated metadata”—for advertising purposes, a leader of the site is promising that the new terms of service will be revised to…

Dec 18, 2012 8:49 PM CST

Kagan Sees Privacy as One of Most Important Future Issues for Court

Justice Elena Kagan highlighted a future important issue for the U.S. Supreme Court and reflected on a past high-profile remark in a speech on Thursday evening. Kagan said privacy in a changing world is a big issue likely to come before the court, Politico reports. She spoke in a question…

Dec 17, 2012 2:54 PM CST

Little Known Agency Gets Expanded Powers to Scour Databases for Terrorism Patterns

Attorney General Eric Holder has signed guidelines giving expansive new powers to a little-known agency to scour vast databases for patterns indicating terrorism, according to a published report. Holder approved the grant of new power to the National Counterterrorism Center despite objections by lawyers concerned about the privacy implications, the…

Dec 13, 2012 7:22 PM CST

Michigan Appeals Court to Consider Anonymity for Blogger Who Criticized Cooley Law School

The Michigan Court of Appeals will consider today whether to protect the identity of a blogging former law student who criticized his alma mater, the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law. Public Citizen lawyer Paul Levy will appear on behalf of the anonymous blogger who questioned Cooley’s employment statistics and…

Dec 12, 2012 3:26 PM CST

Student’s Lawsuit Tests High School’s Microchip ID Policy; Will Religion Trump Need to Count Heads?

Many adults have essentially thrown up their hands over the ubiquitous electronic tracking—via cellphones, computers and cameras strategically placed along the roadside and retail shelves—that has eliminated the concept of privacy as we knew it only a decade or so ago. But a 15-year-old is making a federal-court fight out…

Dec 10, 2012 10:21 PM CST

Ohio Lawyer Sues Mugshot Websites, Claims Right-of-Publicity Violation

An Ohio lawyer has filed a lawsuit that claims five websites that publish mugshots are violating state law. The websites will remove mugshots if individuals pay a fee, and that is the problem, according to Toledo lawyer Scott Ciolek. He says the websites are violating a right-of-publicity law that generally…

Dec 7, 2012 12:00 PM CST

Hacker Finds Tech Millionaire John McAfee in Guatemala by Using Info Embedded in Smartphone Photo

A tech millionaire whose whereabouts haven’t been made public since police in Belize sought to question him about a neighbor’s body found near his waterfront home last month is now back on the grid. After a journalist participating in a group interview apparently posted a smartphone photo of John McAfee,…

Dec 5, 2012 10:10 PM CST