Cybersecurity & Privacy

  • June 27, 2024

    House Panel Cans Vote On Data Privacy, Kids' Safety Bills

    The House Energy and Commerce Committee unexpectedly scrapped plans to discuss nearly a dozen bills Thursday morning, including a closely watched proposal to create a federal data privacy framework that has faced backlash from House leadership, consumer advocates and other stakeholders. 

  • June 27, 2024

    Free-Speech Orgs Tell DC Circ. TikTok Ban Is Prior Restraint

    A collection of free speech and press groups has urged the D.C. Circuit to strike down Congress' TikTok sale-or-ban law, calling the statute a "direct and serious threat" to First Amendment freedoms in an amicus brief.

  • June 27, 2024

    Fla. Gov. Vetoes Bill Giving Immunity On Data Breach Claims

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have provided immunity from data breach lawsuits for businesses that complied with certain cybersecurity standards, citing concerns that the legislation could result in Floridians' data being less secure.

  • June 26, 2024

    BofA COVID Benefit Card Suit Trimmed After Prior Order Axed

    A California federal judge has trimmed a suit brought against Bank of America NA by a proposed class of unemployment and disability benefits card recipients while also agreeing with them that a federal magistrate judge erred in holding that the bank's top brass lacked "uniquely relevant information" concerning discovery in the suit.

  • June 26, 2024

    Justices Leave Blurry Line In Place On Misinformation Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Wednesday to reverse a Fifth Circuit order prohibiting the Biden administration from joining with social media platforms to fight misinformation leaves an important First Amendment question unanswered and left Missouri's attorney general promising a continuing fight against what he called a "censorship regime."

  • June 26, 2024

    FCC Urged To Prevent Abuse Through High-Tech Cars

    Privacy and abuse survivor advocates have outlined ways the Federal Communications Commission could safeguard connected car technology to mitigate domestic and sexual abuse, urging the agency to expand and adapt existing rules to limit abusers from using joint cellphone plans to stalk or harass people to apply to data in vehicles with advanced wireless connectivity.

  • June 26, 2024

    Justices Chide 5th Circ. In Biden Social Media Case

    The Fifth Circuit relied on "clearly erroneous" facts and an overgeneralized view of standing when it ordered the Biden administration to stop working with social media platforms to combat COVID-19 and election misinformation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday as it threw out a challenge to the government's actions.

  • June 26, 2024

    State Data Privacy Law Patchwork: Midyear Report

    States jumped on the consumer data privacy law bandwagon at a brisk clip in the first half of 2024, although it remains unclear if this push will be enough to encourage Congress to finally enact a nationwide framework this year. 

  • June 26, 2024

    New Hampshire Claims TikTok Exploits Kids For Profit

    Social media titan TikTok is exploiting children by intentionally designing its platform to be addictive, so children will keep scrolling on the app for as long as possible, the state of New Hampshire argues in a heavily redacted lawsuit in state court.

  • June 26, 2024

    Julian Assange Freed After Judge Accepts US Plea Deal

    Julian Assange returned to his native Australia on Wednesday hours after a federal judge in the Northern Mariana Islands accepted his plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice and sentenced him to time served for conspiring to disclose national security information.

  • June 26, 2024

    Ex-Ticketmaster Exec Pleads Guilty In Hacking Case

    A former director of client relations at Ticketmaster pled guilty Wednesday to taking part in a scheme to hack into a rival company's computer system in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage.

  • June 26, 2024

    Russian Charged With Ukrainian Cyberattack Before Invasion

    A Russian citizen was charged Wednesday in Maryland federal court with conducting cyberattacks against computer systems used by the government of Ukraine just before the nation was invaded by Russia's military, then targeting Ukrainian allies such as the United States.

  • June 26, 2024

    House GOP Gears Up For The End Of Chevron Deference

    A new memo outlines how House Republicans are gearing up for the U.S. Supreme Court to potentially overturn the decades-old precedent that courts defer to agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes, as an opportunity to roll back the Biden administration's policies and reclaim Congress' power.

  • June 26, 2024

    CSAA Seeks Exit From Conn. Atty's $1.4M Transfer Scam Case

    The insurance company covering a Connecticut attorney accused of helping steal $1.4 million from a development company via a fraudulent bank transfer is seeking to drop its coverage on the grounds that the attorney's alleged actions were intentional and criminal, and therefore not insured.

  • June 26, 2024

    Macy's Email Demand Violates Privacy Law, Shopper Says

    A requirement that Massachusetts consumers making online purchases from Macy's provide an email address to complete a transaction violates the state's consumer privacy law, a proposed class action filed Tuesday alleges.

  • June 26, 2024

    High Court Axes Challenge To Biden Admin's Social Media Work

    The U.S. Supreme Court wiped out a Fifth Circuit order prohibiting the Biden administration and several federal agencies from working with social media platforms to combat the spread of misinformation Wednesday, finding the states and individuals challenging the collaboration don't have standing to sue.

  • June 25, 2024

    Bank Groups Rip CFPB Stance On Wire Rules In NY's Citi Suit

    Banking trade groups have slammed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for backing the New York attorney general's office in a lawsuit over Citibank's handling of online wire fraud claims, arguing the agency's support for a key legal position in the case marks a "complete reversal" from its past views.

  • June 25, 2024

    Google Says Epic's Play Store Changes Could Cost $137M

    Google urged a California federal judge Monday to reject Epic Games' proposed Play Store remedies following Epic Games' antitrust jury trial win, arguing that the changes could cost up to $137 million plus ongoing maintenance costs and create new security risks while potentially harming Google's reputation.

  • June 25, 2024

    Temu Is A 'Data-Theft' Biz And Not Marketplace, Ark. AG Says

    App-based online shopping platform Temu is in reality "dangerous malware" that can override phone privacy settings and collect sensitive user information, according to a "first-of-its-kind" state lawsuit by Arkansas alleging deceptive trade practices and privacy violations.

  • June 25, 2024

    Judge Likely To Block Medical Record Co.'s Anti-Bot CAPTCHAs

    A Maryland federal judge appeared ready to enjoin electronic medical records company PointClickCare from restricting nursing home analytics company Real Time Medical Systems' automated access to its online repositories Tuesday, potentially taking an early crack at defining the 21st Century Cures Act's data sharing provisions.

  • June 25, 2024

    Project Veritas Rips Ore. Recording Ban At En Banc 9th Circ.

    Project Veritas urged an en banc Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday to find that Oregon's decades-old statute that makes it a felony to secretly record people in public places violates the First Amendment, arguing the "dangerous" statute deters investigative journalism as "one of the broadest recording laws in the nation."

  • June 25, 2024

    Amazon Says It Shares 'Cookies,' But Not Prime Viewers' ID

    Amazon.com Inc. on Tuesday urged a federal judge to toss a proposed class action filed by Prime movie subscribers, calling the privacy complaint a "smokescreen" attempting to get around the terms of a use agreement that allows advertisers to access cookies that don't identify specific customers.

  • June 25, 2024

    FTC Looks To Ax MGM Suit Over Cybersecurity Probe

    The Federal Trade Commission rebuffed claims from MGM Resorts International that the agency improperly declined to recuse chair Lina Khan from investigating the hospitality giant's data security practices, urging a D.C. federal judge to toss MGM's lawsuit that seeks to stop the probe.

  • June 25, 2024

    Man Convicted Of Crypto-Motivated Break-Ins, Kidnappings

    A Florida man was convicted Tuesday in North Carolina federal court of leading a robbery crew that broke into people's homes, kidnapped them and stole Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency.

  • June 25, 2024

    Sinclair Accused Of Violating Video Privacy Law

    Sinclair Inc. was hit with a lawsuit in Illinois state court Monday alleging it uses tracking technology to see which videos users watch on its tennis streaming service and target advertisements to them accordingly, in violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act.

Expert Analysis

  • Ruling Signals Wave Of CIPA Litigation May Soon End

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    A California state court's recent ruling in Licea v. Hickory Farms, which rejects the argument that IP address tracking violates the California Invasion of Privacy Act's pen register provision, is likely to reduce or stop the slew of new cases filed against businesses for similar alleged violations, says Patricia Brum at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Opinion

    High Court Should Settle Circuit Split On Risk Disclosures

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    The U.S. Supreme Court should grant the petition for writ of certiorari in the Facebook case to resolve a growing circuit split concerning when risk disclosures can be misleading under federal securities laws, and its decision should align with the intent of Congress and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, says Richard Zelichov at DLA Piper.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • How Export Controls Are Evolving To Address Tech Security

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    Recently proposed export control regulations from the U.S. Department of Commerce are an opportunity for stakeholders to help pioneer compliance for the increasing reliance on the use of outsourced technology service providers, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • The Multifaceted State AG Response To New Technologies

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    In response to the growth of technologies like artificial intelligence, biometric data collection and cryptocurrencies across consumer-facing industries, state attorneys general are proactively launching enforcement and regulatory initiatives — including bipartisan investigations and new state AI legislation, say Ketan Bhirud and Emily Yu at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Handling Customer Complaints In Bank-Fintech Partnerships

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    As regulators mine consumer complaint databases for their next investigative targets, it is critical that fintech and bank partners adopt a well-defined and monitored process for ensuring proper complaint handling, including by demonstrating proficiency and following interagency guidance, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Opinion

    Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • Comparing The UK And EU Approaches To AI Regulation

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    While there are significant points of convergence between the recently published U.K. approach to artificial intelligence regulation and the EU AI Act, there is also notable divergence between them, and it appears that the U.K. will remain a less regulatory environment for AI in the foreseeable future, say lawyers at Steptoe.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • Decoding The FTC's Latest Location Data Crackdown

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    Following the Federal Trade Commission's groundbreaking settlements in its recent enforcement actions against X-Mode Social and InMarket Media for deceptive and unfair practices with regards to consumer location data, companies should implement policies with three crucial elements for regulatory compliance and maintaining consumer trust, says Hannah Ji-Otto at Baker Donelson.

  • Defense Attys Must Prep For Imminent AI Crime Enforcement

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    Given recent statements by U.S. Department of Justice officials, white collar practitioners should expect to encounter artificial intelligence in federal criminal enforcement in the near term, even in pending cases, say Jarrod Schaeffer and Scott Glicksman at Abell Eskew.

  • Series

    Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • 10 Ransomware Issues GCs Should Have On Their Radar

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    As the ransomware threat landscape rapidly evolves, in-house counsel should expect to face a number of challenging dynamics, including the need to justify any ransom payments both to internal and external stakeholders, and data extortion demands that are bypassing the encryption stage, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Parsing Chinese Governance On AI-Generated Content

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    As essential risk-mitigation, companies with a China reach should be aware of recent developments in Chinese oversight of AI-generated content, including the latest rulings and regulations as well as the updated ambit for supervisory bodies, say Jet Deng and Ken Dai at Dacheng.

  • Series

    NJ Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    Early 2024 developments in New Jersey financial regulations include new bills that propose regulating some cryptocurrency as securities and protecting banks that serve the cannabis industry, as well as the signing of a data privacy law that could change banks’ responsibility to vet vendors and borrowers, say attorneys at Chiesa Shahinian.

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