Privacy Law

Facebook must face class action over facial recognition, judge rules

Illinois Facebook users may sue the social media giant for collecting their facial recognition information, a federal judge ruled this week.

Apr 18, 2018 3:00 PM CDT

New law makes Microsoft case on search warrants moot, Supreme Court says

New legislation allowing warrants to reach emails held on overseas servers has made moot a pending U.S. Supreme Court case involving Microsoft, the high court ruled on Tuesday. In a per curiam decision, the Supreme Court said the case should be dismissed. At issue in the case was whether the…

Apr 17, 2018 9:33 AM CDT

Clients hang up in disbelief when lawyer calls to tell them of $61M verdict over unwanted calls

The West Virginia law firm of Bailey & Glasser wants its class clients to know they are eligible for an award as a result of a $61 million verdict against Dish Network for its marketing calls.

Apr 16, 2018 10:01 AM CDT

‘Right to be forgotten’ can apply to criminals: UK high court rules against Google

The “right to be forgotten” notched a win in the High Court of England and Wales, requiring Google to delist references to a businessman’s criminal history.

Apr 16, 2018 8:00 AM CDT

Trump allies reportedly fear FBI-seized taped conversations made by Trump lawyer Michael Cohen

Allies of President Donald Trump are reportedly worried that FBI agents seized taped conversations made by the president’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, in raids of his office, home and hotel room on Monday.

Cohen sometimes taped conversations and replayed the digital files for colleagues and Trump himself, according to anonymous sources who spoke with the Washington Post. One source told the newspaper that Cohen liked to record calls so he could use them later as leverage.

Apr 13, 2018 8:29 AM CDT

2 lawyers and their client are acquitted in Waffle House CEO sex-tape trial

Two Georgia lawyers and their client have been acquitted on charges that they violated a state eavesdropping law when the client secretly recorded a video showing her engaged in a sex act with her boss, Waffle House CEO Joe Rogers Jr. Jurors on Wednesday acquitted Mye Brindle—Rogers’ former housekeeper—and lawyers,…

Apr 12, 2018 10:15 AM CDT

Crash survivor sues publisher, claims he was exploited by book’s false claim of visit to heaven

Updated: An Ohio man who survived a severe car crash as a boy in 2004 has filed a lawsuit claiming that he was financially exploited and his privacy invaded by a book’s false claim that he visited heaven. The plaintiff, William Alexander “Alex” Malarkey, filed the suit on Monday against…

Apr 12, 2018 8:00 AM CDT

Roe v. Wade had broader impact than the public realizes, says author of ‘Beyond Abortion’ (podcast)

In the 45 years since Roe v. Wade was decided, it has been a focal point for both anti-abortion and pro-abortion rights groups. But the opinion in the 1973 case has also been used by activists of liberal, libertarian and conservative ideologies to develop privacy arguments for issues ranging from access to experimental drugs to euthanasia to personal data security to sex worker rights.

Apr 11, 2018 8:30 AM CDT

US urges public disclosure of Harvard documents in group’s suit alleging admissions bias

The U.S. Justice Department is urging a federal judge in Boston to allow public release of documents in a student group’s suit claiming bias against Asian-Americans in the admissions process. The DOJ recommended that U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs not keep the admissions data under seal, report CNN, the National…

Apr 9, 2018 11:19 AM CDT

After passage of new law, Microsoft and US tell Supreme Court that email access case is moot

The federal government and Microsoft have informed the U.S. Supreme Court that their pending dispute over prosecutors’ access to emails stored overseas is now moot. The parties said the case is moot because of a new law signed by President Donald Trump on March 23, report the National Law Journal…

Apr 4, 2018 3:33 PM CDT

Judge tosses 1 charge against lawyers and client over Waffle House CEO sex tape

A judge in Fulton County, Georgia, on Tuesday tossed one of two charges against two lawyers and a client accused of making an illegal sex tape in hopes the video could be used in a future lawsuit. Judge Henry Newkirk dismissed a charge of conspiracy to commit unlawful eavesdropping against…

Apr 4, 2018 1:35 PM CDT

North Carolina police issue broad warrants for data from Google users near crime scenes

Police in North Carolina are using search warrants to collect cellphone location data of individuals near a crime scene.

Mar 27, 2018 1:26 PM CDT

Use copyright law to battle mugshot extortion

After her DUI charge was dropped, Julie Cantu thought her nightmare was over. Then, she went on a date.

Mar 27, 2018 9:23 AM CDT

Illinois’ most populous county files new suit over Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data

The county that includes Chicago may be the first government entity to sue over Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data for use in federal election campaigns. Cook County, Illinois, claims in a lawsuit filed on Friday that the use of information from more than 50 million Facebook users, including millions…

Mar 26, 2018 2:17 PM CDT

Revealing identity of $560M Powerball winner would be invasion of privacy, judge rules

A New Hampshire judge has ruled that a woman who won $560 million in a Powerball jackpot is entitled to keep her identity secret. Hillborough County Judge Charles Temple ruled Monday that requiring the woman to reveal her name would be an invasion of privacy, report the Washington Post, the…

Mar 13, 2018 3:18 PM CDT