Privacy Law

Justices to Consider if Ban on Sale of Computerized Prescription Records Violates First Amendment

Does a law that bars pharmacies from selling prescription information to drug marketers violate a right to free speech? The U.S. Supreme Court will consider that question in oral arguments Tuesday. Drugmakers use the information, which includes the patients’ age and sex but not their names, when their sales representatives…

Apr 26, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

DOJ Asks Supreme Court to Rule Cops Can Track Suspect by GPS Without a Warrant

The U.S. Justice Department is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court decision requiring police to get a warrant before attaching a global positioning device to a suspect’s car. Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal urged the Supreme Court to grant cert to resolve a circuit split,…

Apr 25, 2011 3:55 PM CDT

3 Journalists Arrested in Expanding Phone-Hacking Probe

British authorities have arrested three journalists in an expanding investigation of phone-hacking allegedly by reporters with a popular tabloid. On Thursday, police arrested a reporter with The News of the World, on suspicion of unlawfully intercepting mobile phone messages. The journalist was questioned and released, without any charges being filed,…

Apr 15, 2011 6:03 PM CDT

Digital Data Privacy Bill Introduced in Senate by Kerry and McCain

Senators yesterday introduced a bill that requires companies that traffic personal data to get permission before sharing the information with third-party groups. According to technology blog Hillicon Valley, the bill also requires firms to have security measures protecting collected data, and companies must clearly state how they gather and use…

Apr 13, 2011 4:57 PM CDT

Puerto Rico Federal Case Alleges that Apple, Apps, Invade Privacy

Last week, two women filed a federal complaint against Apple and various apps developers, accusing them of intentionally seeking users’ private smartphone information and sharing it with third-party advertisers. The suit, which seeks class-action status, was filed April 7 in the District of Puerto Rico. According to Wired’s Gadget Lab…

Apr 12, 2011 9:28 PM CDT

High School’s Internet Safety Lesson Riles Students Upset That Info Was Shared at Assembly

High school students in Old Saybrook, Conn., were not happy when their various Facebook photos and status updates were displayed at a freshman school assembly. But administrators say the presentation was meant to teach students a lesson about Internet safety, specifically privacy settings. Many students were upset that the school…

Apr 12, 2011 7:03 PM CDT

Citing Privacy Rights, Arkansas High Court Nixes Law Banning Cohabiting Couples from Adopting

The Arkansas Supreme Court has struck down a law that banned adoptions by anyone cohabiting with another person outside of marriage. The court said the law, approved by voter initiative in 2008, violated “fundamental privacy rights implicit in the Arkansas Constitution.” The law effectively banned gays and lesbians in relationships…

Apr 8, 2011 2:52 PM CDT

Former Mich. Assistant AG Sued for Defamation by Student He Denounced as ‘Radical Homosexual’

A former assistant attorney general in Michigan is facing a defamation lawsuit that claims he “developed a bizarre personal obsession” with a student the lawyer denounced in blog posts as a “radical homosexual.” The suit was filed by Christopher Armstrong, former president of the University of Michigan student assembly, according…

Apr 7, 2011 3:17 PM CDT

Producer Sues ISP and its Fired Employee, Saying Hack Destroyed Season of Kids’ TV Series

A new lawsuit alleges a fired employee hacked into his former company’s networked computers and deliberately destroyed an entire season of a syndicated children’s TV show. The suit (PDF posted by Courthouse News Service), filed last week in U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, claims Michael Scott Jewson,…

Apr 1, 2011 9:13 PM CDT

As Bulging Client Data Heads for the Cloud, Law Firms Ready for a Storm

Perhaps no case could be a more monumental example of the reality of modern e-discovery than the ongoing Viacom copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube filed back in 2008. In that dispute, the judge ordered that 12 terabytes of data be turned over, according to Matthew Knouff. “People often say that…

Apr 1, 2011 9:50 AM CDT

Unique New Ariz. Law Bans Abortion Based On Race or Gender of Fetus

A new law in Arizona makes it a crime to make a decision to abort a fetus based on its ethnicity or gender Billed as what is likely the first such statute in the country, as far as the ethnicity provision is concerned, the law makes it a felony to…

Mar 31, 2011 11:29 PM CDT

Dwarf Couple Who Posed for AP Photo Sues over Its Altered Use in Reality TV Spoof

A dwarf couple is suing E! Entertainment Television for for using an altered version of their photograph to spoof reality TV shows. The suit by Cara and Gibson Reynolds of Collingswood, N.J., seeks more than $50,000 in damages for defamation, invasion of privacy, infliction of emotional distress and unjust enrichment.…

Mar 31, 2011 1:07 PM CDT

As FTC Settles Google Buzz Privacy Case with Agreed Policy, Google Debuts New Search-Sharing Tool

As the Federal Trade Commission today announced that a privacy case over last year’s rollout of Google Buzz had been settled by the Internet titan’s promise to implement an agreed privacy policy, Google simultaneously debuted a new search tool. It is designed to encourage users to share their search results…

Mar 30, 2011 9:52 PM CDT

Judge Cites Privacy Rights, Keeps Juror Names a Secret Until End of Barry Bonds Trial

The federal judge presiding over the perjury trial of Barry Bonds in San Francisco won’t release the names of the jurors until after the verdict. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston cited a ruling by another federal judge who kept juror names secret until the end of the corruption trial of…

Mar 22, 2011 12:14 PM CDT

Applications for Municipal Judge Job Wind Up Exposed to Prying Eyes in Recycling Bin

For 10 applicants for the job of municipal judge in Cleveland, Texas, their bid for the gig wound up earning them some unexpected publicity. There’s cause for concern about whether their personal identities could have been stolen, after their applications, which contained a wealth of background information, ended up in…

Mar 18, 2011 11:46 PM CDT