Lawyer says he ended hunger strike outside SCOTUS after collapsing

A Delaware lawyer says health concerns spurred him to end a hunger strike staged to promote Internet privacy. Brian Zulberti, 31, said in a statement that he was treated at a hospital and released after he began vomiting on Saturday and collapsed, Reuters reports. Zulberti launched a hunger strike outside…

Jun 10, 2014 11:58 AM CDT

Ex-patient sues hospital, says workers posted her medical records on Facebook shaming page

A former patient has sued the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, contending that hospital workers posted her medical records on a Facebook page after she was diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. The unidentified plaintiff says two hospital workers were persuaded by her ex-boyfriend to release her medical records, in…

Jun 4, 2014 3:25 PM CDT

Federal judge tosses challenge to NSA surveillance, with reluctance

A federal judge in Idaho has dismissed a lawsuit challenging collection of telephone data by the National Security Agency, but he suggested the U.S. Supreme Court should revisit the issue. Judge B. Lynn Winmill, chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Idaho, said in an opinion (PDF) issued on…

Jun 4, 2014 2:01 PM CDT

Unemployed lawyer launches hunger strike on SCOTUS sidewalk to promote Internet privacy

Delaware lawyer Brian Zulberti launched a hunger strike Monday morning in hopes of attracting media attention or generating this headline: “Attorney Dies, Collapses in Front of the Supreme Court of the United States, Talking About Privacy Issues.” Zulberti says his hunger strike on a Supreme Court sidewalk is intended to…

Jun 4, 2014 12:50 PM CDT

Electronic-surveillance requests remain sealed; many courts can’t even say how many queries exist

Electronic surveillance requests in thousands of criminal investigations across the United States remain sealed indefinitely, even after the probes are closed. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) has a story on how the “ubiquitous confidentiality” of government requests for electronic surveillance makes it difficult to discern whether the government is…

Jun 3, 2014 5:54 PM CDT

State bars may probe applicants’ behavior, but not mental health status, says DOJ

Jun 1, 2014 9:00 AM CDT

Despite contractual obligations to clam up, some folks can’t can the chatter

Jun 1, 2014 6:40 AM CDT

June 4, 1928: Warrantless wiretaps ruled legal

Jun 1, 2014 6:30 AM CDT

Trust accounts hike law practice costs, blogger says | Are law firm homepage views really declining?

Using trust accounts to store advance fees from clients is a burden on practitioners and less of a protection for clients than if they had paid by credit card, Washington, D.C., solo Carolyn Elefant writes at My Shingle. “Credit cards and digital payments offer better protection against ne’er do well…

May 30, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

FTC report calls for Congress to rein in data brokers

Facing a situation in which data brokers may know more about an individual’s life than that person’s family members and friends, the Federal Trade Commission is asking Congress to enact legislation to rein them in. In a 110-page report (PDF) released Tuesday, the FTC calls for laws requiring the companies…

May 28, 2014 4:45 PM CDT

Witness for the prosecution: Your own car?

Originally, automobile manufacturers installed so-called black box recorders in vehicles for their own benefit. In case of any product liability suit, they wanted to be able to prove that airbags had deployed properly. But then GM expanded on that concept in 1999 by installing devices that could also capture vehicle…

May 27, 2014 5:45 PM CDT

New Blackphone could help lawyers safeguard client information

While covering this year’s ABA Techshow, I reported on a session that focused on tools and services available to lawyers concerned about maintaining client confidentiality in the face of increased governmental surveillance, particularly from the National Security Agency. One of the most interesting things that I learned (and there were…

May 23, 2014 5:45 PM CDT

Proposed California bill would restrict license-plate scanning

Citing privacy concerns, proposed legislation in California would restrict the state’s use of license-plate scanning technology. California state senator Jerry Hill is pushing a bill that would rein in law enforcement’s growing reliance on the technology, the Los Angeles Times reported. According to the Times, police utilize high-resolution digital cameras…

May 19, 2014 9:41 PM CDT

US criminally charges Chinese military officials with cyberspying

Updated: Attorney General Eric Holder has announced an indictment accusing five Chinese military officials of directing a conspiracy to hack into U.S. companies. The indictment alleges that the officials sought to steal trade secrets and intellectual property by hacking operations, report the New York Times, the Washington Post and USA…

May 19, 2014 2:40 PM CDT

A ‘culture of misinformation’? Two senators express concern about DOJ statements to Supreme Court

Two Democratic senators have written Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. to express concerns about statements made to the U.S. Supreme Court in a case challenging the foreign surveillance law. Senators Mark Udall of Colorado and Ron Wyden of Oregon claimed the administration is trying to “ignore or justify” statements it…

May 14, 2014 1:31 PM CDT