Privacy Law

Pennsylvania AG doesn’t testify in her obstruction trial; reporter won’t say who leaked documents

Defense lawyers for Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane rested without calling any witnesses on Friday in Kane’s trial on charges of obstruction and perjury. Kane told Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy she had decided not to testify after listening to the state’s case. “I don’t believe it’s necessary for me to testify…

Aug 12, 2016 3:17 PM CDT

Pennsylvania AG leaked documents for revenge, prosecutor says in opening statement

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane leaked grand jury documents to take revenge on a rival and then lied about it, a prosecutor said in opening statements on Tuesday. Assistant District Attorney Michelle Henry argued that Kane leaked documents about a case that wasn’t pursued by former state prosecutor Frank Fina…

Aug 9, 2016 12:06 PM CDT

Texas AG cites court opinion to deny info releases by local governments

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is citing a Texas Supreme court opinion to advise against release of information—ranging from the number of Uber driver permits issued by the city of Houston to the cost of an Enrique Iglesias appearance sponsored by the city of McAllen. Now Texas lawmakers are considering…

Aug 9, 2016 10:15 AM CDT

Wearable technology that monitors workers could lead to legal problems for employers, lawyers say

Employers are outfitting workers with wearable technology to track inventory, map routes through warehouses, monitor employee interactions, and keep truck drivers awake. But lawyers see potential legal complications as wearable technology becomes more common in the workplace, the Washington Post reports. Wearable devices could give employers access to physical data…

Aug 9, 2016 9:01 AM CDT

Judge allows ‘look-see’ at computers seized in blogging defamation probe

A Louisiana judge said on Friday he will allow a “look-see” at home computers seized by Terrebone Parish sheriff’s deputies based on allegations that their owner—a former sheriff’s deputy—may be the blogger who accused the sheriff’s office of improprieties. Judge Randall Bethancourt of Terrebonne Parish had approved a search warrant…

Aug 8, 2016 10:42 AM CDT

FBI director: Fix clashes between privacy, public safety with ‘robust conversation,’ not litigation

The FBI is collecting data on how the widespread use of encryption technology is “impacting our world,” and is looking for examples to share with the American people for an informed debate over the collision of two of our most basic values: privacy and public safety, FBI Director James Comey…

Aug 5, 2016 9:14 PM CDT

What privacy threats do consumers face by using internet-connected devices?

Every panelist at the ABA Annual Meeting’s “Knock Knock. Who’s There? The Internet of Things” had a favorite internet-connected device that made their lives a bit easier. Those favorites included wearable step counters, home security devices and “smart cars” that permit them to lock their car remotely or check their…

Aug 4, 2016 4:10 PM CDT

Federal judge tosses audio evidence picked up on warrantless FBI bugs outside courthouse

A federal judge in San Francisco has refused to admit as evidence more than 200 hours of audio recordings collected by FBI bugging devices placed outside the courthouse in San Mateo County, California, without a warrant. In a decision (PDF) on Monday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said the government…

Aug 3, 2016 11:10 AM CDT

New Jersey man plagued by Pokemon Go players files nuisance class action

A New Jersey man who says Pokemon Go players are visiting his property has filed a would-be class action lawsuit against the developer and distributor of the app. Jeffrey Marder’s suit claims the placement of the Pokemon virtual characters at or near his home is interfering with his use and…

Aug 2, 2016 12:28 PM CDT

Audio recorded by warrantless FBI bugs outside courthouse didn’t violate Constitution, judge rules

A federal judge in California has refused to suppress conversations recorded by the FBI without a warrant on secret devices outside courthouses in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. U.S. District Chief Judge Phyllis Hamilton of Oakland said the defendants had no reasonable expectation of privacy in the conversations, which were…

Jul 26, 2016 9:42 AM CDT

New Jersey Supreme Court to decide if email log is covered by open records law

The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether police have to supply an open-government activist with logs of emails under the state’s public records law. The court agreed on Friday to hear the appeal by the activist, John Paff, after an appeals court ruled that the email log…

Jul 26, 2016 7:30 AM CDT

Citing internet impact, 6th Circuit says federal law doesn’t require automatic release of mug shots

The Freedom of Information Act doesn’t require automatic release of a federal suspect’s mug shot to the media, a federal appeals court has ruled in an en banc decision. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 9-7 on Thursday that suspects have a privacy interest in preventing disclosure…

Jul 15, 2016 8:30 AM CDT

Microsoft doesn’t have to give prosecutors emails stored on servers in Ireland, 2nd Circuit says

Emails of a Microsoft customer that are stored exclusively on a server in Ireland are beyond the reach of domestic search warrants issued under a 1986 federal law, a federal appeals court has ruled. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for Microsoft on Thursday in a…

Jul 14, 2016 2:06 PM CDT

Trump’s policies would be unconstitutional and will be challenged if adopted, ACLU says

The American Civil Liberties Union is vowing to file constitutional challenges to several policies of Donald Trump if he should win election and implement them. The ACLU sees constitutional problems with Trump’s proposals on immigration, American Muslims, torture and freedom of speech. “If implemented, Donald Trump’s proposed policies will spark…

Jul 14, 2016 10:17 AM CDT

Federal judge tosses drug evidence because DEA didn’t get warrant for StingRay cellphone tracking

A federal judge in Manhattan has suppressed narcotics evidence because the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration didn’t get a warrant to use a cellphone tracking device that led them to the suspect’s apartment. The decision by U.S. District Judge William Pauley appears to be the first time a federal judge has…

Jul 13, 2016 12:31 PM CDT