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Articles 1 - 15 of 15

Full-Text Articles in Privacy Law

My Body, Whose Choice? A Case For A Fundamental Right To Bodily Autonomy, Miri Trauner Mar 2024

My Body, Whose Choice? A Case For A Fundamental Right To Bodily Autonomy, Miri Trauner

Brooklyn Law Review

In 2022, the US Supreme Court decided Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and the fundamental right to abortion it had established nearly fifty years prior. The Court’s decision threw into uncertainty the future of not only reproductive rights in this country, but also many other individual rights. At the same time as the decision, the world was still reeling from a global pandemic, and the development of COVID-19 vaccines had spurred widespread controversy over the constitutionality of vaccine mandates. Both advocates for abortion access and opponents to vaccine mandates shared a common cry: “my …


Policing The Police: Establishing The Right To Record And Civilian Oversight Boards To Oversee America’S Police, Michael G. Brewster Apr 2023

Policing The Police: Establishing The Right To Record And Civilian Oversight Boards To Oversee America’S Police, Michael G. Brewster

Brooklyn Law Review

Police misconduct is a persistent issue in the United States that undermines public trust in law enforcement and the criminal justice system as a whole. The video of George Floyd’s arrest and murder played an irreplaceable role in bringing attention to the case and sparking nationwide discussions about the state of policing in America. The video, showing former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Mr. Floyd’s neck for several minutes, also helped convict Mr. Chauvin of murder at trial. Recording police activity is an important means of holding officers accountable for their actions and protecting citizens from abuse of …


Dna Dystopia: How The National Security Apparatus Could Map The Entire Genome Of America Without Violating The Fourth Amendment Or The Constitutional Right To Privacy, Elias Rios Iii May 2022

Dna Dystopia: How The National Security Apparatus Could Map The Entire Genome Of America Without Violating The Fourth Amendment Or The Constitutional Right To Privacy, Elias Rios Iii

Brooklyn Law Review

Over the past decade, scientific advances have allowed genetic testing to become accessible to consumers. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) DNA testing companies can analyze your DNA sample so you can learn about your family’s origins or whether you are genetically predisposed to a specific disease or disorder. Consumers can then send these analyzed files to third-party databases that aggregate genetic data for specific purposes, like helping law enforcement solve cold cases. Recently, the Department of Defense alerted servicemembers that DTC DNA tests were a national security threat. Simply put, when the national security apparatus finds a threat, it proactively seeks to neutralize …


The "Worst Law In Technology": How The Computer Fraud And Abuse Act Allows Big Businesses To Collect And Sell Your Personal Information, Alicia Nakhjavan Apr 2022

The "Worst Law In Technology": How The Computer Fraud And Abuse Act Allows Big Businesses To Collect And Sell Your Personal Information, Alicia Nakhjavan

Brooklyn Law Review

For years, big businesses have been collecting and selling users’ personal information without permission. In attempts at preventing this practice, users have brought civil actions under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), alleging a loss of personal privacy. As currently enacted, “personal privacy” is not included in the statutory definition of loss. Further, courts have been reluctant to interpret the CFAA broadly to cover loss of personal privacy claims. This note proposes that an amendment to the CFAA is necessary to close this gap in the statute’s coverage and better protect users’ right to privacy.


The Gatekeepers Of Research: Why A Data Protection Authority Holds The Key To Research In The New York Privacy Acts, Eric B. Green Feb 2022

The Gatekeepers Of Research: Why A Data Protection Authority Holds The Key To Research In The New York Privacy Acts, Eric B. Green

Brooklyn Law Review

Biometric data is among the most sensitive of personal data because it is biologically tied and unique to the individual. Nonetheless, biometric data is an invaluable facet of the research that enables progressive scientific, technological, and medical innovation. Because a comprehensive federal data privacy act does not appear to be on the horizon, the torch has been passed to the states to create their own personal data protection regimes. New Yorkers’ personal biometric data is not aptly protected, partially because neither the New York Privacy Act nor the Biometric Privacy Act (collectively, the NY Privacy Acts) have matured to the …


The Common Law Of Cyber Trespass, Michael J. O'Connor Apr 2020

The Common Law Of Cyber Trespass, Michael J. O'Connor

Brooklyn Law Review

Right now, if executives in California and Virginia each bribe a competitor’s disloyal employee to steal a trade secret from the competitor’s servers, under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the Government can charge one executive but not the other. Courts decide these cases differently due to the widening circuit split over the CFAA term “without authorization.” Neither the Supreme Court nor Congress has shown interest in resolving the split over authorization. Even more concerning is the suggestion that they can’t resolve it; the statute addresses too many potential scenarios for a single definition to end all debate. …


“Hey Alexa, Do Consumers Really Want More Data Privacy?”: An Analysis Of The Negative Effects Of The General Data Protection Regulation, Katherine M. Wilcox Dec 2019

“Hey Alexa, Do Consumers Really Want More Data Privacy?”: An Analysis Of The Negative Effects Of The General Data Protection Regulation, Katherine M. Wilcox

Brooklyn Law Review

Recent news articles discuss the flooding of email inboxes with lengthy terms and condition updates, viral videos of Mark Zuckerberg’s public Cambridge Analytica hearing before Congress, and the phenomenon of internet advertisements appearing for items that consumers merely searched for on Google a day prior. Effective as of May 25, 2018, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) established a framework that sets legal standards targeted at businesses and other data collectors to dramatically increase data privacy protections for citizens of the EU. Consumers, however, do not seem to appreciate these increased protections, as they rarely read the updated …


Pay For (Privacy) Performance: Holding Social Network Executives Accountable For Breaches In Data Privacy Protection, Lital Helman Jan 2019

Pay For (Privacy) Performance: Holding Social Network Executives Accountable For Breaches In Data Privacy Protection, Lital Helman

Brooklyn Law Review

Social networking has proliferated over the past years and is now being utilized by a large percentage of the world’s population. Social networks substantially contribute to enhanced speech, creativity, and communication. Yet, their practices of collecting and monetizing personal data of users pose severe privacy risks. Compelling social networks to internalize these risks is crucial for the healthy evolution of social networking. This article proposes a novel approach to address this challenge: to link executive compensation in social networking firms to the quality of data protection the company provides to its users. This proposal is different from other solutions that …


Telemarketing, Technology, And The Regulation Of Private Speech: First Amendment Lessons From The Fcc’S Tcpa Rules, Justin (Gus) Hurwitz Oct 2018

Telemarketing, Technology, And The Regulation Of Private Speech: First Amendment Lessons From The Fcc’S Tcpa Rules, Justin (Gus) Hurwitz

Brooklyn Law Review

This article considers the viability of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in light of recent Supreme Court First Amendment precedent and technological and regulatory developments. Robocalls—phone calls made using autodialers or prerecorded messages without the consent of the call recipient—have become one of the primary consumer protection issues facing regulators. With more than 2.4 billion of these calls placed each month, consumer concern about them dominate complaints received by both the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission. Simultaneously, as cellphones have become a ubiquitous means by which individuals engage with one another and have become the public square, …


Search Query: Can America Accept A Right To Be Forgotten As A Publicity Right?, James J. Lavelle Jun 2018

Search Query: Can America Accept A Right To Be Forgotten As A Publicity Right?, James J. Lavelle

Brooklyn Law Review

Search engines have profoundly changed the relationship between privacy and free speech by making personal information widely and cheaply available to a global audience. This has raised many concerns both over how online companies handle the information they collect and how regular citizens use online services to invade other people’s privacy. One way Europe has addressed this change is by providing European Union citizens with a right to petition search engines to deindex links from search results—a so-called “right to be forgotten.” If the information contained in a search result is “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant,” the search engine …


Clicks And Tricks: How Computer Hackers Avoid 10b-5 Liability, Ryan H. Gilinson Jan 2017

Clicks And Tricks: How Computer Hackers Avoid 10b-5 Liability, Ryan H. Gilinson

Brooklyn Law Review

This note argues that computer hackers who sell inside information instead of trading on it themselves, referred to in the note as hacker-sellers, avoid liability under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act and SEC Rule 10b-5. Rule 10b-5 criminalizes the use of a manipulative or deceptive device “in connection with the purchase or sale of any security.” Hacker-sellers fall outside the scope of this rule for two reasons. First, the type of hacking employed by hacker-sellers is not always “deceptive,” and only the forms of hacking which deceive the computer into thinking an authorized user is seeking access are …


Wearables And Personal Health Data: Putting A Premium On Your Privacy, Alexandra Troiano Jan 2017

Wearables And Personal Health Data: Putting A Premium On Your Privacy, Alexandra Troiano

Brooklyn Law Review

Recently, insurance companies have gained greater insight into their policyholders’ health habits by incentivizing them to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle through the use of wearable devices. This note addresses the recent trend of insurance companies that offer discounts to policyholders who use Fitbits, or other wearable wristbands, to track and report health information. At first glance, this idea seems like a win-win for insurance companies and policyholders–insurance companies can reduce risk by encouraging healthier habits for their policyholders, and policyholders receive discounts on their health insurance. Despite this synergy, however, this type of program threatens personal privacy, particularly …


Reevaluating Attorney-Client Privilege In The Age Of Hackers, Anne E. Conroy Jan 2017

Reevaluating Attorney-Client Privilege In The Age Of Hackers, Anne E. Conroy

Brooklyn Law Review

The news story is now familiar: hackers breach a security system and post internal, confidential information online for anyone with an Internet connection to comb through. This digital version of whistleblowing, called “hacktivism,” is attractive to the media, which has leaned on broad First Amendment protections to widely cover the confidential communications revealed by hackers. These hacks also provide attorneys with enticing opportunities to look through previously confidential files. But as ethics and evidentiary rules stand, it is not clear if an attorney may view the files, let alone use them as evidence in litigation. That companies are hacked is …


“Big Brother” In The Private Sector: Privacy Threats Under The Faa’S New Civilian Drone Regulations, Sean M. Nolan Jan 2017

“Big Brother” In The Private Sector: Privacy Threats Under The Faa’S New Civilian Drone Regulations, Sean M. Nolan

Brooklyn Law Review

The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) recent promulgation of civilian drone regulations triggered the growth of a new consumer industry. As this industry grows, so do the privacy threats it presents. Drones with advanced technological capabilities can record and store a wide range of data, without the consent of the data’s source. Privileged information captured by drones—whether for innocent purposes or not—is in turn vulnerable to misappropriation, as civilian drones are far from hack-proof. Despite the likely privacy implications of large-scale drone legalization, the FAA’s new regulations do not include any privacy protections. This note provides a criticism of the FAA’s …


“Hello…It’S Me. [Please Don’T Sue Me!]” Examining The Fcc’S Overbroad Calling Regulations Under The Tcpa, Marissa A. Potts Dec 2016

“Hello…It’S Me. [Please Don’T Sue Me!]” Examining The Fcc’S Overbroad Calling Regulations Under The Tcpa, Marissa A. Potts

Brooklyn Law Review

Americans have received unwanted telemarketing calls for decades. In response to a rapid increase in pre-recorded calls made using autodialer devices, Congress enacted the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in 1992. The TCPA imposes restrictions on calls made to consumers’ residences and wireless phones using autodialer devices, even if they are not telemarketing calls. Congress appointed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to prescribe rules and regulations to enforce the TCPA. In 2015, the FCC released an order that defined autodialer more broadly under the statute. Consequently, devices that have the potential to become autodialers in the future, even if they …