Latest in data privacy
There are long-overlooked dangers embedded within the adoption of digital technologies—and as society shifts online during the pandemic, consumers and policymakers must figure out how to address those risks.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on April 9 ruled that the Facebook users could pursue several wiretap and privacy claims against the company. The plaintiffs allege that Facebook tracked logged-out users’ internet activity by storing cookies on their browsers when they visited outside websites containing Facebook plug-ins and then sold personal profiles based on that data to advertisers.
Lawmakers worry that TikTok is a national security threat. But it’s important to decouple the risks of the app.
Across the United States and Europe, the act of clicking “I have read and agree” to terms of service is the central legitimating device for global tech platforms’ data-driven activities. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation has recently come into force, introducing stringent new criteria for consent and stronger protections for individuals. Yet the entrenched long-term focus on users’ control and consent fails to protect consumers who face increasingly intrusive data collection practices.
The advocate general’s opinion details some important new jurisprudence about how the EU may look at foreign intelligence surveillance in the future.
What is behind CFIUS's probe into Tik Tok?
It’s been a busy two weeks for the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Last week, the court handed down a landmark decision in favor of Google; this Thursday, Oct. 3, it released a blockbuster ruling against Facebook.
Europe’s highest court issued two huge rulings on Sept. 25 regarding the implementation of the EU’s “Right to Be Forgotten.” Both decisions involve a long-standing dispute between Google and France’s data authority, the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL); both have considerable implications for the cross-border regulation of the internet.
After last year’s passage of the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (Cloud Act), officials and journalists in the European Union have ramped up criticism of the American desire for extraterritorial access to electronic evidence, with some accusing the United States of being motivated by the desire to conduct economic espionage for the benefit of U.S. economic interests.
A Congress that begins with a government shutdown carrying over and a raft of subpoenas to the executive branch issued by incoming House committee chairs promises to be at least as polarized and partisan as its predecessor. Even so, legislators want to legislate, and will seek some opportunities for bipartisan agreement. One area where this may happen is federal legislation to protect personal information privacy.