Privacy Law Commons^™

The Need For Revisions To The Law Of Wiretapping And Interception Of Email, Robert A. Pikowsky

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

I argue that a person's privacy interest in his email is the same as his privacy interest in a telephone conversation. Moreover, the privacy interest in email remains unchanged regardless of whether it is intercepted in transmission or covertly accessed from the recipient's mailbox. If one accepts this assumption, it follows that the level of protection against surveillance by law enforcement officers should be the same[...] As technology continues to blur the distinction between wire and electronic communication, it becomes apparent that a new methodology must be developed in order to provide logical and consistent protection to private communications. The …

Toward Taping, Christopher Slobogin

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Numerous authors, from all points on the political spectrum, have advocated that police interrogations be taped. But police rarely record custodial questioning, at least in full, and only a handful of courts have found this failure objectionable. This commentary outlines three different constitutional grounds for mandating that such recording become a routine practice. To set up the constitutional argument, the article first outlines why taping is needed despite the elaborate rules that now govern interrogation. Put simply, the reasoning is as follows: the Miranda regime has failed, voluntariness should once again be the focal point of interrogation regulation, and taping …

Intellectual Property Laws In Harmony With Nafta: The Courts As Mediators Between The Global And The Local, Myra J. Tawfik

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper will argue that domestic courts can pro- vide a forum within which to mediate between these two extremes, to reconcile the ‘‘global’’ and the ‘‘local’’ — but that the courts themselves must adapt to meet the challenges that globalization places upon them. More specifically, the paper begins by setting out a framework for understanding harmonization of laws under NAFTA as one that encourages rather than eliminates diversity of law. The paper then studies the prevailing approaches to statutory interpretation that Canadian courts, most especially the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal, have been employing …

Computer Law By George S. Takach (Toronto: Irwin Law Inc., 2000, 2nd Edition), David T.S. Fraser

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Banning Bans On New Reproductive And Novel Genetic Technologies, Matthew Herder

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Commentators argue that statutory prohibitions with the force of the criminal law should not be used to regulate new reproductive technologies (NRTs) and novel genetic technologies (NGTs). Bill C-13, the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, however, codifies 10 criminal bans. This paper considers the merits of the various arguments levied against Bill C-13, and the corollary claim that only a "non-prohibitive" model of legislation befits NRTs and NGTs. Three types of arguments are used to critique criminal bans: (1) "Structural" arguments hinge on the constraints of the Canadian legal system - legislation complete with prohibitions runs afoul of the Constitution Act …

Student Protector, Internet Provider, Or Contractual Party? An Examination Of The Legal Relationship Between A University And Its Students, Anna Christine Milot

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The legal relationship between a university and its students is becoming increasingly complex as the use of technology spreads. Accordingly, it is important to define a university’s responsibilities and legal boundaries in order to understand the liability universities can potentially incur when dealing with students. Each Canadian university is unique in its founding and enacting legislation, as will be discussed further later. The individuality of Canada’s universities means that the questions raised in this paper cannot be given answers that can necessarily be generalized across universities. The approach to analysis in this paper, however, is applicable to any of the …

Technology And International Trade: Wille The Real Transformer Please Stand Up?, Todd Weiler

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The primary driver of change in Canada’s cultural sector has not been some kind of contrived, neo- liberal plot imposed upon an unsuspecting public with the promise of ‘‘jobs, jobs, jobs.’’ Rather, it has been technology. The role for liberalised trade and investment treaties comes only in the form of a conditioning force, limiting the panoply of choices available to govern- mental officials who want to respond to the changes being wrought by technological advances.

This paper begins with some brief definitions, moving next to an elaboration of its thesis, and finally explaining the application of this thesis to some …

Anonymity And The Supreme Court's Model Of Expression: How Should Anonymity Be Analysed Under Section 2(B) Of The Charter?, Peter Carmichael Keen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The first part of this article will discuss what anonymity is, and the costs and benefits that anonymity confers on expressive activity. I will demonstrate that anonymity is a double-edged sword in that it can both promote and harm free expression. In the second part, I will suggest that there is no doubt that anonymity can be protected under section 2(b) of the Charter. When I first began this article, I intended to examine ‘‘whether’’ anonymity can be constitutionally protected under section 2(b). As my research progressed, I quickly realised that I was asking the wrong question. I discovered that …

Justice White And The Right Of Privacy, David D. Meyer

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Conundrums With Penumbras: The Right To Privacy Encompasses Non-Gamete Providers Who Create Preembryos With The Intent To Become Parents, Lainie M.C. Dillon

Washington Law Review

To date, five state high courts have resolved disputes over frozen preembryos. These disputes arose during divorce proceedings between couples who had previously used assisted reproduction and cryopreserved excess preembryos. In each case, one spouse wished to have the preembryos destroyed, while the other wanted to be able to use or donate them in the future. The parties in these cases invoked the constitutional right to privacy to argue for dispositional control over the preembryos; two of the five cases were resolved by relying on this right. The constitutional right to privacy protects intimate decisions involving procreation, marriage, and family …

The New Privacy, Paul M. Schwartz, William M. Treanor

Michigan Law Review

In 1964, as the welfare state emerged in full force in the United States, Charles Reich published The New Property, one of the most influential articles ever to appear in a law review. Reich argued that in order to protect individual autonomy in an "age of governmental largess," a new property right in governmental benefits had to be recognized. He called this form of property the "new property." In retrospect, Reich, rather than anticipating trends, was swimming against the tide of history. In the past forty years, formal claims to government benefits have become more tenuous rather than more secure. …

The Usa Patriot Act: An Analysis Of Student Reaction Toward Governmental Access To Library Records, Kathryn A. Fifield

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The USA Patriot Act has created a furor of opinion among the library community. Many oppose the Act's affect on First Amendment rights and governmental access to library records. To investigate the opinion of Utah State University students, a survey was conducted among a random sample of 100 students. The results indicated that student opinion conforms to conservative Utah as most of the respondents believe the government can access library records if they have a court issued search warrant. Students felt it important that the suspect be informed of the investigation. Only 22% of respondents had heard of the Patriot …

The Rehnquist Court And The Devolution Of The Right To Privacy, Scott P. Johnson, Robert M. Alexander

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Snake-Oil Security Claims The Systematic Misrepresentation Of Product Security In The E-Commerce Arena, John R. Michener, Steven D. Mohan, James B. Astrachan, David R. Hale

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

The modern commercial systems and software industry in the United States have grown up in a snake-oil salesman's paradise. The largest sector of this industry by far is composed of standard commercial systems that are marketed to provide specified functionality (e.g. Internet web server, firewall, router, etc.) Such products are generally provided with a blanket disclaimer stating that the purchaser must evaluate the suitability of the product for use, and that the user assumes all liability for product behavior. In general, users cannot evaluate and cannot be expected to evaluate the security claims of a product. The ability to analyze …

The Absentee Ballot And The Secret Ballot: Challenges For Election Reform, John C. Fortier, Norman J. Ornstein

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Reforms in the recently enacted federal election reform legislation primarily address improving voting at a polling place, but there is a growing share of the electorate who vote away from the polling place through increased use of absentee ballots and vote-by-mail systems. Voters who vote away from the polling place do not have the same protections as those at the polling place. In particular, these voters do not have a secret ballot, as any ballot cast without a drawn curtain behind oneself is potentially subject to coercion, vote buying and fraud.

This Article looks at the tension between the Australian …

Rescuing The Balance?: An Assessment Of Canada's Proposal To Limit Isp Liability For Online Copyright Infringement, Scott Nesbitt

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper attempts both to explain the technological and legal imperatives pressing Canada to address the issue of ISP liability in reforms to the Copyright Act and to raise some concerns about the impact of the government’s proposed amendments in this area. The basic elements of copyright law, the impact of digital technology on copyright and the policy arguments surrounding ISP liability are briefly discussed to set the context for judicial treatment of and legislative action on this issue. Next, the paper focuses on the development of American jurisprudence with respect to limitation of ISP liability for third party copyright …

Patent First, Litigate Later! The Scramble For Speculative And Overly Broad Genetic Patents: Implications For Access To Health Care And Biomedical Research, Ikechi Mgbeoji, Byron Allen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper will not directly address the ethical considerations of allowing patents on human genetic sequences, although this continues to be a controversial debate in itself. Rather, the aim is to consider the legality of such gene patents and the effects such patents have on biomedical research and health care delivery in definitive terms through an analysis of current developments and research relating to the subject. The operation of current intellectual property regimes regulating such patents will be examined, and amendments to these legal systems will be considered. An emphasis will be placed on identifying practical concerns rather than broad, …

Beyond Convergence And The New Media Decisions: Regulatory Models In Communications Law, Melanie Mortensen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

While technological and economic changes have been the most influential factors in stimulating recent policy and regulatory reassessments in Canada with respect to telecommunications and broadcasting regulation, public interest and socio-political concerns should also remain significant in the design of new regulatory and policy responses to convergence and competition. When the CRTC announced that it would refrain from regulating broadcasting in new media for a period of five years, this occasion illustrated the increasing inapplicability of the sector-specific legislation from which the mandate of the CRTC is derived.

The first model addressed is the present sector-specific policy and regulatory treatment …

Fast Track Trade Authority And The Free Trade Agreements: Implications For Copyright Law, Samuel Trosow

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

In 2002, Congress passed the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act, which restored the presidential fast-track trade-promotion authority that had lapsed in 1994. Fast-track trade promotion authority is a means by which Congress delegates to the president a portion of its constitutional authority over international trade policy. This paper reviews the development, scope, and application of fast-track trade-promotion authority, evaluates some of the copyright provisions in key Free Trade Agreements, and concludes that the process has been effectively captured by the information and entertainment industries. There are numerous negative consequences that flow from the resulting policy environment. Not only is an …

The Emperor Has No Clothes: A Critique Of Applying The European Union Approach To Privacy Regulation In The United States, David R. Nijhawan

Vanderbilt Law Review

Internet users in the United States and the European Union ("EU") often debate the state of international data privacy, while scholars and companies also present questions to the Internet community regarding the regulation of data privacy and the amount of regulation required in the U.S. Inquiries range from how to determine the necessary degree of regulation and how to implement regulations to how to enforce any regulations that the U.S. lawmakers may pass. Historically, the EU and the U.S. approach data privacy regulations in diametrically opposed ways. While the EU relies primarily on legislation and heavy regulation, the U.S. has …

Muddy Property: Generating And Protecting Information Privacy Norms In Bankruptcy, Edward J. Janger

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Recognizing The Societal Value In Information Privacy, James P. Nehf

Washington Law Review

Much has been written about database privacy in the Internet Age, most of it critical of the way in which the American legal system addresses the issue. In this article, Professor Nehf maintains that one of the fundamental difficulties with the public policy debates is that information privacy is often discussed as a typical consumer problem rather than a problem of more general societal concern. As a result, arguments over appropriate resolutions reduce to a balancing of individual rights against more general societal interests, such as increased efficiency in law enforcement, government operations or commercial enterprise. Although privacy scholars discussed …

Message Deleted? Resolving Physician-Patient E-Mail Through Contract Law, Michael Mccann

Law Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the impact of e-mail on the physician-patient relationship, and how contract law can resolve the uncertainties incumbent in this nascent form of communication. Significantly, courts have yet to indicate when the physician-patient relationship begins by e-mail, or to what extent e-mail affects the duties of the relationship. Instead of waiting for judicial guidance, physicians and patients can employ specialized contracts to clarify the role that e-mail plays in their relationship. As a result, more physicians and patients will regard e-mail correspondence as a valuable means of communication, and a tool for improving the quality of health care …

International Data Transfer Out Of The European Union: The Adequate Level Of Data Protection According To Article 25 Of The European Data Protection Directive, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 553 (2003), Alexander Zinser

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Article 25 of the European Data Protection Directive provides a set of standards that are to be used by countries in the European Union when personal data processed in the particular member country transfers such information to third countries. This directive dictates that it must be ascertained, before transferring such personal information, that the third country ensures an adequate level of protection. Zinser initially examines the history and scope of Article 25 of the European Data Protection Directive before examining each of the standards and factors contained therein, with regard to the transfer of such information. He offers analysis of …

Cloning, Public Policy And The Constitution, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 271 (2003), Lowell Ben Krahn

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This comment analyzes the safety and implications of human cloning, including whether cloning is encompassed by the fundamental right to privacy. The article also addresses the legislative attempts at banning cloning, and urges the government to do so.

The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act: An Analysis Of The Decisions From The Courts Of Appeals, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 355 (2003), Sue Ann Mota

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article examines the published decisions of the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals in which there have been interpretations of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (APCA). The article provides summaries of all cases interpreting the ACPA at the time of writing. These cases include: Sporty’s Farm L.L.C. v. Sportman’s Market, Inc.; Northern Light Technology, Inc. v. Northern Lights Club; Sallen v. Corinthians Licenciamentos LTDA; Shields v. Zuccarini; Virtual Works, Inc. v. Volkswagen of America, Inc.; People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals v. Doughney; Porsche Cars North America, Inc. v. Porsche.net; Harrods Limited v. …

Limiting Exposure For Internet Vendors: Separating The Wheat From The Chaff, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 207 (2003), Todd V. Mackey

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article explains how using the Internet to market products may subject a vendor to exposure in unanticipated jurisdictions. The author includes a proposal to minimize those risks by suggesting the use of contracts of adhesion, including mandatory forum selection clauses, and having them executed by the customer in the course of the transaction so that the vendor may insulate itself from those jurisdictional risks.

Congress And The Courts Battle Over The First Amendment: Can The Law Really Protect Children From Pornography On The Internet?, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 141 (2003), Mitchell P. Goldstein

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Litigation and court action have provided little in the way of providing solutions to anyone dealing with inappropriate content on the Internet. In Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15 (1973). The court refused to establish a national standard and instead relied on community standards. Because the Internet has no geographic limitations, one cannot determine community standards because the Internet is so far reaching. Goldstein discusses in detail these Congressional enactments: Communications Decency Act of 1996, the Child Online Protection Act, and the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996, finding that none of them give children protection from pornography. The challenge …

Trade Secret Reclamation: An Equitable Approach In A Relative World, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 227 (2003), William L. O'Brien

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The only possible IP protection is a trade secret. However, trade secrets are inadvertently disclosed in investment disclosures or to prospective customers. The article offers a solution to this dilemma by creating emphasis on the continued retention of the secret, even though confidentiality of it could have been dissipating.

Copy Protection Of Cds: The Recording Industry's Latest Attempt At Preventing The Unauthorized Digital Distribution Of Music, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 241 (2003), Amy K. Jensen

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This comment focuses on the need of the music industry to control the use and digital distribution of music. The author also addresses the privacy issues that arise through the various methods the music industry implements in order to control the unauthorized distribution of digital music via computer technology. The author particularly addresses the privacy issues that arise with the use of undetectable signals that send information about a consumer’s use of that Compact Disc over computer lines, all unbeknownst and unauthorized by the consumer.