Privacy Law

New laws are needed to protect people from webcam spying, report says

Existing laws don’t adequately protect computer users from digital spying on their webcams, according to a new report by a law professor and two lawyers. Hundreds of thousands of people have been targeted by secret activation of their webcams, but they have little recourse under federal law, according to the…

Dec 24, 2014 5:45 AM CST

Sony Pictures hires David Boies, who warns media to destroy documents leaked by hackers

Sony Pictures Entertainment has gone on the offensive after computer hackers posted corporate documents online, including employee medical information and embarrassing emails written by corporate executives. The company has hired litigator David Boies, who sent a letter to several news organizations stating that Sony Pictures “does not consent to your…

Dec 15, 2014 11:38 AM CST

Hackers who attacked Sony Pictures posted employee medical info online

It isn’t just embarassing internal emails between executives that are being leaked publicly as a result of a hack attack on Sony Pictures. Confidential medical information about dozens of employees and family members has been posted online, too, reports Bloomberg. While many of the workers are not identified by name,…

Dec 12, 2014 10:30 AM CST

Federal judge says acquitted attorney can sue Above the Law for defamation, but not Gawker

A federal judge in Chicago has given a green light to a defamation and invasion of privacy suit by an Illinois attorney against the Above the Law. At issue is the blog’s coverage of a criminal trial at which Meanith Huon was acquitted of an alleged aggravated assault against a…

Dec 9, 2014 2:45 PM CST

Fired reporter can’t sue over bikini footage shot by rival station, appeals court rules

A well-known television reporter in the Chicago area, who was fired after a rival station filmed her wearing a bikini near a swimming pool in a source’s back yard, doesn’t have a tort case against CBS News, the Illinois Court of Appeals has ruled. Knowing that her source was a…

Dec 2, 2014 5:35 PM CST

Court worker files HIPAA suit, says she was searched daily after misconstrued remark

It all began with what a worker at a Nevada courthouse describes as a misconstrued remark. Irritated at being pushed to work harder on a Monday, due to an early exit the previous Friday by another worker who was upset at being criticized by a judge, Jacquelynn Nickler said something…

Nov 25, 2014 10:10 AM CST

Judge unseals cellphone surveillance orders; deputy DA has ‘fervent hope’ convictions will stand

A judge in Charlotte, North Carolina, has unsealed 529 orders involving cellphone surveillance requests that were so secret the DA’s office didn’t see the records. Senior Resident Judge Richard Boner unsealed the surveillance orders last week at the request of the Charlotte Observer and its news partner, WBTV, the Charlotte…

Nov 24, 2014 11:30 AM CST

Hospital chain says job applicants who test positive for ‘tobacco use’ won’t be hired

A hospital chain headquartered in Colorado has announced a plan to test job applicants for tobacco. Those who test positive for “tobacco use” won’t be hired, but can re-apply after 90 days. The testing by Centura Health will take place as part of pre-employment screening, once job offers are made,…

Nov 20, 2014 1:45 PM CST

Cellphone data is secretly tracked by US planes in search of criminal suspects

The U.S. Marshals Service has a fleet of secret spy planes that can mimic cellphone towers as they search for criminal suspects. The planes are able to collect data from tens of thousands of cellphones in a single flight, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) says in a report relying…

Nov 14, 2014 7:02 AM CST

DOJ admits misstatement in challenge to secret record requests; one isn’t the lowliest number

The U.S. Justice Department has admitted an “inadvertent misstatement” during oral arguments last month when its counsel maintained that companies receiving national security letters are free to reveal that fact. In a letter (PDF) made public on Thursday, the Justice Department said the lawyer was mistaken in the Oct. 8…

Nov 13, 2014 12:54 PM CST

SCOTUS overturns ‘perplexing’ appellate decision, rules for cop asserting warrant exception

A police officer who entered a couple’s backyard and accessed their deck without a warrant was entitled to qualified immunity, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a per curiam opinion Monday. The court granted cert and ruled on behalf of Pennsylvania state police officer Jeremy Carroll, who entered the backyard…

Nov 10, 2014 9:55 AM CST

GPS device placed by car dealership led to suspect in woman’s abduction

Police rescued a woman abducted off a Philadelphia street and arrested a suspect Wednesday, thanks to a GPS device placed in the suspect’s car by the dealership that sold the vehicle. The victim is Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, a 22-year-old nurse’s assistant whose abduction was recorded by a surveillance camera and broadcast…

Nov 6, 2014 1:22 PM CST

Lawyer for Jameis Winston tweets accuser’s name; could he be held liable?

The lawyer for Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston tweeted the name of the woman accusing the football star of sexual assault on Tuesday while complaining that the school was giving too little time to prepare for a disciplinary hearing. The tweet by David Cornwell raised eyebrows, though it is…

Nov 6, 2014 9:09 AM CST

Appeals court hears challenge to NSA’s bulk collection of phone records; a ‘peculiar’ claim?

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday considered a constitutional challenge to the bulk collection of phone records revealed as a result of leaks by Edward Snowden. The U.S. Justice Department is appealing a federal judge’s injunction against the National Security Agency program in…

Nov 5, 2014 10:39 AM CST

Terminally ill Brittany Maynard ends her life; her act may influence right-to-die debate

The death of Brittany Maynard, the terminally ill woman who died Saturday at her Oregon home after taking a lethal dose of barbiturates prescribed by her physician, may forever change the right-the-die debate in this country. In the weeks leading up to her death, the 29-year-old Maynard, who was diagnosed…

Nov 3, 2014 5:36 PM CST