Law Commons^™

Going Rogue: Mobile Research Applications And The Right To Privacy, Stacey A. Tovino

Notre Dame Law Review

This Article investigates whether nonsectoral state laws may serve as a viable source of privacy and security standards for mobile health research participants and other health data subjects until new federal laws are created or enforced. In particular, this Article (1) catalogues and analyzes the nonsectoral data privacy, security, and breach notification statutes of all fifty states and the District of Columbia; (2) applies these statutes to mobile-app-mediated health research conducted by independent scientists, citizen scientists, and patient researchers; and (3) proposes substantive amendments to state law that could help protect the privacy and security of all health data subjects, …

De Facto State: Social Media Networks And The First Amendment, Paul Domer

Notre Dame Law Review

In Marsh v. Alabama, a Jehovah’s Witness was arrested and convicted of trespassing for proselytizing on a public sidewalk that nonetheless was, like everything else in the “company town,” privately owned. The Court reversed, holding that the First and Fourteenth Amendments applied against a private actor if it exercised all the powers and responsibilities traditionally associated with a government—policing, utilities, and traffic control, for example. Writing for the majority, Justice Black declared, “The more an owner, for his advantage, opens up his property for use by the public in general, the more do his rights become circumscribed by the …

Why Section 230 Is Better Than The First Amendment, Eric Goldman

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

47 U.S.C. § 230 (“Section 230”) immunizes Internet services from liability for third-party content. This immunity acts as a crucial legal foundation for the modern Internet. However, growing skepticism about the Internet has placed the immunity in regulators’ sights.

If the First Amendment mirrors Section 230’s speech protections, narrowing Section 230 would be inconsequential. This Essay explains why that is not the case. Section 230 provides defendants with more substantive and procedural benefits than the First Amendment does. Because the First Amendment does not backfill these benefits, reductions to Section 230’s scope pose serious risks to Internet speech.

A Repeated Call For Omnibus Federal Cybersecurity Law, Carol Li

Notre Dame Law Review

In Part I, this Note discusses the concerning regularity of high-profile data breaches that have occurred within the United States’ weak and patchwork landscape of cybersecurity law. Part II discusses the challenges companies face when attempting to comply with the current cybersecurity law, and why companies who are deemed compliant are still falling victim to hackers and data breaches. Part III makes a call for federal legislation to replace the current, inadequate, fragmented, and uneven landscape of cybersecurity law. Part IV discusses numerous factors and incentives to consider in creating an omnibus federal cybersecurity law. Finally, Part V offers some …

Marketplace Of Ideas, Privacy, And The Digital Audience, Alexander Tsesis

Notre Dame Law Review

The availability of almost limitless sets of digital information has opened a vast marketplace of ideas. Information service providers like Facebook and Twitter provide users with an array of personal information about products, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. While this data enriches the lives of those who share content on the internet, it comes at the expense of privacy.

Social media companies disseminate news, advertisements, and political messages, while also capitalizing on consumers’ private shopping, surfing, and traveling habits. Companies like Cambridge Analytica, Amazon, and Apple rely on algorithmic programs to mash up and scrape enormous amounts of online and otherwise …

No Internet Does Not Mean No Protection Under The Cfaa: Why Voting Machines Should Be Covered Under 18 U.S.C. § 1030, Jack Dahm

Notre Dame Law Review

The U.S. Attorney General established a Cyber-Digital Task Force within the Department of Justice (DOJ) in February 2018. This newly created task force released its first public report on July 19, 2018. Then–Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the release of the report, while promising that “[a]t the Department of Justice, we take these threats seriously.” The report was designed to answer the following question: “How is the Department [of Justice] responding to cyber threats?” The report begins by discussing the threat of foreign influence operations, described by the Task Force as “one of the most pressing cyber-enabled threats our Nation …

Warning! Tiered Internet Ahead: Expect Delays, Courtney Loyack

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

As the topic of net neutrality becomes increasingly polarized, the question becomes: Who should decide how consumers use the internet? Are usage determinations best left unregulated and to the discretion of massive corporations, or should usage be determined by regulations that aim to ensure an open and freely accessible internet? The answer to this question has far-reaching and deeply meaningful implications for the lives of every American.

The ways in which consumers communicate, access information, and participate in social media are all subject to change as the future of net neutrality regulation becomes uncertain. Part I of this Essay will …

Protecting Users Of Social Media, Margaret Ryznar

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

Social media platforms started as a fun way to connect with friends and family. Since then, they have become a science fiction nightmare due to their capacity to gather and misuse the data on their users.

It is not irrational for social media providers to seek to capitalize on their data when they provide the platforms for free. Indeed, their business model is to sell data to third parties for marketing and other purposes. Yet, users should be able to expect that their data is not used to hurt them or is not sent to disreputable companies. Indeed, fewer people …