Privacy Law

Not all private social media photos are subject to discovery, but some may be, says New York court

In a personal injury lawsuit involving a horse riding accident, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that Facebook photos the plaintiff set as private are discoverable.

Feb 14, 2018 11:16 AM CST

Unhappy with 53 law firms participating in case, judge appoints special master to review legal bills

A federal judge in California last week criticized two lawyers for bringing an additional 49 law firms into a data-breach case, raising to 53 the total number of firms representing the plaintiffs. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said she planned to hire a special master to go through the billing…

Feb 7, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Woman who won $560M Powerball jackpot sues for anonymity

A New Hampshire woman who had the winning $560 million Powerball ticket last month has filed a suit seeking to remain anonymous, saying disclosure “would constitute a significant invasion of her privacy.” The woman filed the Jan. 29 suit as “Jane Doe” against the New Hampshire Lottery Commission, report Courthouse…

Feb 6, 2018 3:25 PM CST

Privacy law specialty certification program narrowly approved after spirited debate in ABA House

A spirited debate preceded Monday’s vote by the ABA House of Delegates to allow the accreditation of a privacy law specialty certification program. The program was proposed by the International Association of Privacy Professionals from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Standing Committee on Specialization from the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility…

Feb 5, 2018 2:14 PM CST

Suit accuses sex toy company of collecting data on customer usage

A lawsuit filed on Wednesday accuses a sex toy company of collecting information from its customers on when and how often they use its vibrators. The would-be class action, filed in federal court in San Francisco, accuses Hong Kong-based Lovense of collecting the data through a Body Chat app paired…

Feb 1, 2018 11:37 AM CST

Judge: Kushner company must reveal identities of real estate partners

A federal judge in Maryland ruled Friday that Jared Kushner’s family real estate company could not keep secret the identities of its partners in Baltimore-area apartment complexes that are the subject of a class-action lawsuit by tenants. The class-action lawsuit was filed in September, following a May article co-published by…

Jan 30, 2018 6:16 PM CST

Secret memo hints GOP could be targeting Deputy AG Rosenstein, report says

A secret GOP memo hints that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein could be targeted for his handling of a surveillance request against Carter Page, a campaign associate of President Donald Trump.

Jan 29, 2018 8:59 AM CST

Thomson Reuters releases new data privacy research tool

Thomson Reuters has released the Data Privacy Advisor, a web platform that centralizes global legal and regulatory data privacy information.

Jan 29, 2018 6:00 AM CST

Self-styled crime reporter is charged with misuse of information; she sees free-speech violation

A Texas woman who heads to crime scenes and broadcasts her own crime reports on Facebook is facing charges after she broadcast the name of a man who committed suicide before the police department released the information. Priscilla Villarreal Treviño was charged last month with two counts of misuse of…

Jan 25, 2018 11:48 AM CST

Federal judge wants nearly 6,000 potentially fraudulent claims in app settlement to be investigated

A federal judge in San Francisco has asked prosecutors to investigate nearly 6,000 potentially fraudulent claims in a $5.3 million class action settlement. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar acted on Tuesday in a case filed against Apple and some app makers after the claims administrator found 5,924 suspect claims that…

Jan 19, 2018 7:00 AM CST

9th Circuit upholds prostitution ban in constitutional challenge

A federal appeals court has upheld a California law that criminalizes prostitution in a First Amendment challenge.

Jan 18, 2018 9:13 AM CST

Google app feature matching selfies to art is blocked in 2 states with strict biometrics laws

A new and popular feature on the Google Arts & Culture app isn’t available in Illinois and Texas because of strict laws on the collection of “face geometry” and other biometric data. The feature matches selfies to artwork in more than 1,200 museums, producing comparisons that are appearing in many…

Jan 17, 2018 2:59 PM CST

House rejects privacy limits in voting to reauthorize new warrantless surveillance law

The U.S. House of Representatives rejected privacy limits on Thursday when it approved a six-year extension of the law that permits warrantless surveillance of foreign targets that can also sweep up Americans’ communications. The bill reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act goes next to the Senate, where…

Jan 12, 2018 9:14 AM CST

2 New Mexico judges sue state judicial commission to obtain secret courthouse recordings

Two magistrate court judges in Aztec, New Mexico, have sued the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission in an effort to obtain secret surveillance recordings allegedly made by a judge who has since been removed from the bench. Magistrate court judges Trudy Reed-Chase and Barry Sharer contend in the lawsuit that…

Jan 11, 2018 8:00 AM CST

How a Quaker’s suit against the defense secretary in the 1970s still affects surveillance cases

You have reason to believe you’re being monitored by the government—that they are following you and cataloging everywhere you go and everyone you talk to. The knowledge haunts you, and it has a chilling effect on everything you do. But can you sue to stop it, or even to find out whether it's really happening?

Jan 3, 2018 10:00 AM CST