Cellphones, Police, Privacy, Technology

Judges Are Getting Concerned About ‘Undeniably Creative’ Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking

There has been justifiably a lot of talk over the last few days about U.S. v. Jones, and the privacy issues it raises. Our editor emeritus Kashmir Hill was fortunate enough to hear oral arguments at the Supreme Court in person, alongside top legal reporters such as Jeffrey Toobin and Adam Liptak. But when it […]

Facebook, Labor / Employment, Privacy, Social Networking Websites, Technology

New York Court Says Sometimes Facebook Info Might Actually Be Private

Remember how everyone used say, “Don’t post anything on Facebook you wouldn’t want your boss to see. But if you do, just make sure you set your privacy settings so that your boss can’t see.” Well, things have changed. Now, when companies enter workman’s compensation or personal injury litigation, courts will sometimes order discovery on […]

Conferences / Symposia, Cyberlaw, Duane Morris, Madonna, Pornography, Privacy, Technology

How Not to Screw Up on the Internet

Last week, Christopher Danzig went to the Computer Forensics Show in San Francisco. He sat in on one legal technology-related panel that was particularly entertaining and informative. What he heard underscored was the importance of maintaining a technology dialogue between legal and other parts of the business. It was also chance to hear some awesome war stories from a veteran partner at a major law firm….

Cyberlaw, Federal Government, Google / Search Engines, Privacy, Technology

If the Government Wants Your Email, It Gets Your Email

We’ve been talking a lot recently about the secretly authorized stuff our government does to us — like killing us, or molesting us at airports. Here’s another one for the list: digging through our emails or Twitter feeds or cell phone data, without probable cause, our permission, or our knowledge. How does the U.S. government circumvent basic probable cause and search warrant requirements when it wants electronic information? Let’s see….

Cars, Privacy, Technology

Your Car Knows What You Did Last Summer

When someone sent contributor Christopher Danzig a video entitled “6 Ways Your Car Can Spy on You,” he had little-to-no expectations. But it turned out the little slideshow actually had a few tasty morsels of knowledge. Keep reading to learn how simply paying bridge tolls keeps you on the grid, and how police can assign liability based on an unexpected similarity between airplanes and your Honda Civic….

California, Crime, Cyberlaw, Facebook, Privacy, Social Networking Websites, Technology

Don’t Mess With Your Friend’s Facebook; It Might Be a Felony

When I was in college, it was not altogether uncommon for people to leave their laptops unattended with their Facebook accounts still logged in. It was not altogether uncommon for an enterprising prankster to creatively twiddle with said account. A little switch of sexual preference here, a mildly offensive profile picture there, and maybe a […]

China, Cyberlaw, Email Scandals, Google / Search Engines, Privacy, Screw-Ups, Technology

Chinese Hackers Hijack Hundreds of Gmail Accounts

This news is more than a little scary. Google announced yesterday that hackers in China had gotten access to hundreds of Gmail accounts. And it wasn’t just anyone’s email. The attack targeted senior government officials in the United States, Chinese political activists, officials in several Asian countries, military personnel, and journalists. I have a feeling […]

Bad Ideas, Facebook, Health Care / Medicine, Privacy, Screw-Ups, Social Networking Websites, Technology

ER Doc Forgets Patient Info is Private, Gets Fired for Facebook Overshare

I’m done whining about Facebook privacy issues. Everyone should know by now that Facebook and privacy are basically mutually exclusive. But every once in a while, someone does something stupid relating to Facebook privacy in a new, exciting way — like stealing a computer and posting photos of yourself on the owner’s page, or uploading […]

Cyberlaw, Privacy, Screw-Ups, Technology

Hackers Probably Stole Your Email Address Last Weekend

Raise your hand if you are a JPMorgan Chase customer. Now raise your hand if you’ve shopped at Best Buy. How about Citibank, Target or Walgreens? Has everybody in the world raised their hands yet? Congratulations — your email address may have been stolen. There was a data breach at Epsilon, a Texas-based marketing firm, […]