Privacy Law

Lawyer-turned-blogger broke the story on collection of cellphone data; will he be prosecuted?

The journalist who broke the story on secret U.S. collection of cellphone data is Glenn Greenwald, a former lawyer at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Greenwald wrote his story for the Guardian and allowed the publication to edit it, though he usually publishes without an editor, the New York Times…

Jun 7, 2013 12:49 PM CDT

US also collects Internet data; does NSA directly tap servers of Google and other top companies?

The Obama administration has acknowledged a classified program to tap Internet data after the Washington Post and then the Guardian published a secret Power Point presentation about the effort that was apparently created for training purposes. The program, known as PRISM, targets overseas communications and is permitted by U.S. intelligence…

Jun 7, 2013 12:03 PM CDT

Lawmakers: US has gotten cellphone info for 7 years, ‘lawful’ program prevented terrorist attack

Responding to news reports about a secret federal court order under which the U.S. government apparently collected cellphone records for tens of millions of Verizon customers, federal lawmakers said Thursday that the National Security Agency program has been ongoing for seven years and thwarted at least one terrorist attack. Sen.…

Jun 6, 2013 6:30 PM CDT

Is US perusing millions of phone records? Secret court order reveals ‘massive scale’ data collection

A secret court order reportedly orders a Verizon business subsidiary to turn over all its customer records to the National Security Agency on an “ongoing daily basis.” The Guardian published the order granted by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on April 25. The New York Times spoke with a person…

Jun 6, 2013 12:14 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: Court unanimously wrong on Virginia’s public records law

Several different constitutional provisions and principles prevent states from discriminating against out-of-state residents. In light of this, it was surprising and troubling that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in McBurney v. Young (PDF) that it is constitutional for a state to allow only its own citizens to use its…

Jun 5, 2013 2:31 PM CDT

Leaked emails that led to exposure of Petraeus affair violated socialite’s privacy, suit claims

Tampa socialite Jill Kelley and her husband, Scott, have filed a lawsuit claiming the government violated their privacy by improperly disclosing emails that led to an FBI investigation and exposure of former Gen. David Petraeus’ affair with his biographer. Kelley had complained to the FBI about harassing emails from an…

Jun 4, 2013 2:13 PM CDT

Family living in glass home sues photographer who took pictures with zoom lens for art exhibit

After news that a Manhattan photographer used a telephoto lens to take pictures for an art exhibit of his across-the-street neighbors in an upscale high-rise with floor-to-ceiling windows, at least one family has sued. Others at the Zinc Building are purchasing window coverings, according to Courthouse News and the New…

May 28, 2013 8:15 PM CDT

Journalists threatened after finding massive data security lapse

A team of investigative reporters landed in hot water after finding a massive data security lapse that put hundreds of people at serious risk of identity theft. Journalists for the Scripps News Service notified Lifeline, the federal program for low-income Americans that offers a discounted phone service, within hours of…

May 24, 2013 7:45 PM CDT

Parties in slip-and-fall case ordered to hire neutral expert to probe plaintiff’s Facebook page

A Lancaster County, Pa. judge has ordered the parties in a personal injury lawsuit to hire a “neutral forensic computer expert” to probe a plaintiff’s Facebook account. The defendants are Lancaster Regional Medical Center and Hospital Housekeeping Systems. Grace Perrone asserts she she slipped and fell in a puddle of…

May 22, 2013 10:58 PM CDT

Is your photo online? Are you on Facebook? If so, retailers can ID you and your shopping profile

Decades ago, George Orwell wrote a famous novel, 1984, that envisioned a then-future world in which “Big Brother”—a totalitarian government—was watching its citizens through a variety of electronic gadgetry and might at any time bark orders at individuals through a loudspeaker or television screen. That world doesn’t yet exist, as…

May 20, 2013 1:40 PM CDT

If you live in a glass house, you may not win a privacy suit over a photo display, lawyer says

Residents of an upscale apartment building in New York City are in an uproar over a photo display at an art gallery. On exhibit are candid shots of residents taken with a telephoto lens by an artist who lives in a building across the street. Those in the Zinc Building…

May 17, 2013 9:45 PM CDT

Who’s really driving the alternative fee arrangements movement; Blogger stands up for privacy

Jean P. O’Grady, a knowledge strategist at DLA Piper took on this year’s Alternative Fee Arrangements at Legal Departments and Law Firms report at Dewey B. Strategic. And she noticed some other things on top of all of the stats about the prevalence of AFAs. “A careful reading of the…

May 3, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

Cops can’t search cellphone seized at arrest, Florida Supreme Court says; will case go to SCOTUS?

A cellphone is different from a cigarette pack, the Florida Supreme Court says in a ruling requiring police to get a warrant before searching cellphones seized during an arrest. The ruling deepens the split on the constitutionality of cellphone searches incident to arrest, according to the Volokh Conspiracy. “The Florida…

May 3, 2013 1:02 PM CDT

Americans don’t want more government monitoring of cellphones and email to fight terror, survey says

After the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City and the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, more than half of the Americans responding to polls were willing to give up some civil liberties in exchange for greater security. But a poll taken a…

May 1, 2013 10:00 PM CDT

Dozens of ‘well-connected’ people granted secret court cases in Chicago area, including 5 judges

Five state and federal judges, as well as a number of lawyers, were among dozens of “well-off and well-connected” individuals who have had cases–often concerning domestic relations matters–either sealed by Chicago area judges or allowed to be filed using only the initials of the parties. Although the reasons routinely cited–financial…

Apr 30, 2013 3:30 PM CDT