Bill to fight Internet anonymity is withdrawn after lawmaker takes flak for proposal

An Illinois lawmaker who hoped to fight cyberbullying with a law that would reduce Internet anonymity has withdrawn his proposal. State Sen. Ira Silverstein, a Chicago Democrat, says he took so much heat over the idea that he withdrew his bill, according to the Chicago Tribune blog Change of Subject.…

Feb 22, 2013 7:50 PM CST

Law firm’s hijacked keywords not a privacy violation, appeals court says

A Wisconsin law firm has failed to win reinstatement of a lawsuit that claims its right to privacy was violated by a competitor’s purchase of advertising-driven search-engine keywords. The Wisconsin Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld dismissal of the suit filed by personal injury law firm Habush Habush & Rottier,…

Feb 22, 2013 4:19 PM CST

Police say fired Johns Hopkins doc used pencam to take secret photos of patients

Raising the prospect of a major privacy issue for a leading medical center, authorities say a gynecologist and obstetrician believed to have committed suicide earlier this month after being fired by Johns Hopkins used personal equipment to take secret photos and videotapes of his patients. A sex crime investigation is…

Feb 20, 2013 9:22 PM CST

Secretly taping johns is not a privacy violation, state’s top court says

Maine’s top court has upheld the dismissal of 46 charges against a businessman accused of taping a prostitute’s sexual encounters, holding that the johns have no reasonable expectation of privacy under a state law banning recording in private places. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court dismissed the invasion of privacy charges…

Feb 20, 2013 11:59 AM CST

Search ordered on juror’s computer drive to see if she violated Web research ban

Terri Wright says a Florida newspaper reporter misunderstood her when he said in an article that she conducted Internet research while serving as the forewoman of a jury hearing a 2011 drug case against a Grammy-winning reggae star. But a federal judge in Tampa plans to have a forensics expert…

Feb 19, 2013 8:16 PM CST

Women fight ‘revenge porn’ in class-action suit against Web host and site

First comes the request for explicit photos from a trusted boyfriend. Then, after the relationship goes bad, the public posting of the pictures on so-called “revenge porn” sites, often accompanied by personal information and shaming comments from strangers. Once publicized on the Internet, of course, there is little, if any,…

Feb 14, 2013 3:00 PM CST

Facebook glitch briefly blocked users from accessing 3rd-party Internet sites

Depending on your perspective, a Facebook fail that reportedly interrupted service to thousands, perhaps even millions, of third-party websites for less than an hour on Thursday was either a minor glitch or a troubling reminder of the extent to which a powerful Internet site can control the actions of computer…

Feb 8, 2013 2:05 PM CST

Name of woman who sued over herpes infection is revealed after a suspended justice protests

A federal judge has agreed to unseal records in a civil suit over a herpes infection, a victory for a suspended Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice who wants to use the documents in her criminal trial. U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster ruled Jamie Pavlot could not use the pseudonym “Jane Doe”…

Jan 28, 2013 4:15 PM CST

Do privacy rights end at the brothel door? Judge dismisses taping charges in Zumba case

A Maine judge has dismissed 46 of 59 counts against a defendant accused of taping sexual encounters at a Zumba studio after his lawyer argued that privacy rights don’t apply in a brothel. Judge Nancy Mills dismissed the taping-related charges against Mark Strong Sr. on Friday, the Portland Press Herald…

Jan 28, 2013 11:30 AM CST

‘Persistently unclear’ Skype privacy rules need clarification, Web user groups tell Microsoft

In an open letter to Microsoft and Skype leaders that went up on the Internet on Thursday, advocacy groups call for increased disclosure about the security features and privacy rules that apply to Skype. The letter says the popular phone service, which allows very low-cost international calls and video-conferencing to…

Jan 25, 2013 5:15 PM CST

Anonymous DNA study volunteers identified with online sleuthing; consent form covered possibility

Volunteers participating in the 1000 Genomes Project signed a consent form saying the researchers could not guarantee their privacy. At the time, the risk appeared remote, according to the director of a government entity that that helps fund and direct the project. Not any more. “We are in what I…

Jan 22, 2013 12:00 PM CST

Abortion Clinics’ Buffer Zones Affirmed by Federal Appeals Court

A federal appeals court has for the fourth time in 12 years affirmed a law creating buffer zones around Massachusetts abortion clinics. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-0 ruling (PDF) Wednesday, said the law protects the rights of prospective patients and clinic employees without infringing…

Jan 11, 2013 6:10 PM CST

Judge Rescinds Order to Seize Home Computers of Juror Accused of Web-Surfing During Trial

Updated: A federal judge in Florida has reconsidered an ex parte order issued on Friday, telling marshals to seize the home computers of a juror who was quoted in a newspaper article as saying that she had conducted Internet research on the defendant in a high-profile trial. However, U.S. District…

Jan 8, 2013 10:59 PM CST

Digital Dangers: ABA Pursues Practical and Legislative Responses to Cybersecurity Threats

Jan 1, 2013 10:30 AM CST

Law Firm Creates Think Tank to Study Analytics

Jan 1, 2013 10:00 AM CST