Privacy Law Commons^™

Counteracting Diminished Privacy In An Augmented Reality: Protecting Geolocation Privacy, Diana Martinez

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

No abstract provided.

Who's Driving You? Driver Data Remains Unprotected Under Coppa And Shine The Light, Marisa Tashman

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

As our lives become more driven by technology, California’s privacy laws fall short of protecting our personally identifiable information. Vehicles in particular present an increasing privacy concern, as our automobiles become more computer and less car. Cars today have increasingly sophisticated capabilities, stemming from connected technology and sensors, and their ability to capture geolocation and biometric data. This data can be used to make inferences about drivers’ behavioral patterns and daily habits. This Article analyzes whether California’s privacy laws—California Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) and Shine the Light—adequately address privacy concerns regarding driver data collected by the connected car. This …

Internet Surveillance, Regulation, And Chilling Effects Online: A Comparative Case Study, Jonathon Penney

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

With internet regulation and censorship on the rise, states increasingly engaging in online surveillance, and state cyber-policing capabilities rapidly evolving globally, concerns about regulatory “chilling effects” online — the idea that laws, regulations, or state surveillance can deter people from exercising their freedoms or engaging in legal activities on the internet have taken on greater urgency and public importance. But just as notions of “chilling effects” are not new, neither is skepticism about their legal, theoretical, and empirical basis; in fact, the concept remains largely un-interrogated with significant gaps in understanding, particularly with respect to chilling effects online. This work …

Internet Surveillance, Regulation, And Chilling Effects Online: A Comparative Case Study, Jonathon Penney

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

With internet regulation and censorship on the rise, states increasingly engaging in online surveillance, and state cyber-policing capabilities rapidly evolving globally, concerns about regulatory “chilling effects” online — the idea that laws, regulations, or state surveillance can deter people from exercising their freedoms or engaging in legal activities on the internet have taken on greater urgency and public importance. But just as notions of “chilling effects” are not new, neither is skepticism about their legal, theoretical, and empirical basis; in fact, the concept remains largely un-interrogated with significant gaps in understanding, particularly with respect to chilling effects online. This work …

From Blockbuster To Mobile Apps—Video Privacy Protection Act Of 1988 Continues To Protect The Digital Citizen, Ann Stehling

SMU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Biometrics: The Future Is In Your Hands, Kelsey Sherman

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

No abstract provided.

"Reasonable Zones Of Privacy"—The Supreme Court's Struggle To Find Clarity In The American Landscape Regarding Fourth Amendment Rights, Alex Alben

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

The U.S. Supreme Court has struggled over the years to develop the concept of what constitutes a "reasonable zone of privacy" when it comes to intrusion on an individual's physical space or activities. With the advent and widespread adoption of new technologies such as drones and listening devices, concern for protecting privacy has magnified, yet court doctrine remains inconsistent. The author, Washington State's Chief Privacy Officer, reviews the history of Supreme Court "search and seizure" rulings in prominent cases to identify both patterns and flaws on the topic of protecting citizen privacy.

Protecting Privacy In The Era Of Smart Toys: Does Hello Barbie Have A Duty To Report, Corinne Moini

Law Student Publications

“‘Yay, you’re here!’ Barbie said eagerly. ‘This is so exciting. What’s your name?’…’I just know we’re going to be great friends.’” With a simple greeting, Hello Barbie has infiltrated your child’s life. Each time your child wishes to engage, they simply press on Barbie’s belt buckle and speak. Unlike other talking toys, the button on Barbie’s belt is not to play one of the pre-recorded statements that are installed in the toy. Instead, the button is used to record and transmit what your child says to an online storage cloud where it will be reviewed and used to create an …

Revenge Porn And Narrowing The Cda: Litigating A Web-Based Tort In Washington, Jessy R. Nations

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Effective September 2015, the Washington State Legislature passed two statutes which created both civil and criminal liability against individuals who distribute "intimate images" of others without their consent. These statutes were created to combat the modern phenomenon colloquially known as "revenge porn." Revenge porn is the non-consensual distribution of nude or sexually explicit photographs or videos, created with the intent to humiliate or harass the person these images depict. In addition to causing emotional damage to the victim, revenge porn can also produce broader consequences such as loss of employment and stalking. Traditionally, litigating these kinds of offenses has been …

Highway To The Danger Drone: Reconciling First Amendment Rights Of Drone Owners And Privacy Rights Of Individuals In Creating A Comprehensive Statutory Scheme In Rhode Island, David M. Remillard

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Hotline Ping: Harmonizing Contemporary Cell Phone Technology With Traditional Fourth Amendment Protections, Brianne M. Chevalier

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Privacy, Probability, And Political Pitfalls Of Universal Dna Collection, Meghan J. Ryan

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

Watson and Crick’s discovery of the structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in 1953 launched a truth-finding mission not only in science but also in the law. Just thirty years later–after the science had evolved–DNA evidence was being introduced in criminal courts. Today, DNA evidence is heavily relied on in criminal and related cases. It is routinely introduced in murder and rape cases as evidence of guilt; DNA databases have grown as even arrestees have been required to surrender DNA samples; and this evidence has been used to exonerate hundreds of convicted individuals. DNA evidence is generally revered as the “gold …

The Use Of Information And Communications Technology In Criminal Procedure In The Usa, Stephen C. Thaman

All Faculty Scholarship

In this chapter, the author discusses the three types of criminal surveillance and the subsequent data mining used to synthesize and compare the results of surveillance techniques. In addition, the author examines how the aforementioned procedures should be viewed in light of United States case law involving the privacy of American citizens.

Workplace Freakonomics, Matthew T. Bodie

All Faculty Scholarship

Data analytics has revolutionized our economy, and employment is no exception. Sometimes called people analytics or HR analytics, the study of worker behavior and activity now includes the collection of massive amounts of data that is then crunched by algorithms looking for both expected and unexpected patterns. This work is akin to the "freakonomics" approach, which asks unusual questions and is prepared to find answers that may upset conventional wisdom. This paper explores the possibility of a "workplace freakonomics" approach to using big data in the workplace, and considers the legal and ethical ramifications for wide-ranging explorations of employee data.

Entrepreneurial Administration, Philip J. Weiser

Publications

A core failing of today’s administrative state and modern administrative law scholarship is the lack of imagination as to how agencies should operate. On the conventional telling, public agencies follow specific grants of regulatory authority, use the traditional tools of notice-and-comment rulemaking and adjudication, and are checked by judicial review. In reality, however, effective administration depends on entrepreneurial leadership that spearheads policy experimentation and trial-and-error problem-solving, including the development of regulatory programs that use non-traditional tools.

Entrepreneurial administration takes place both at public agencies and private entities, each of which can address regulatory challenges and earn regulatory authority as a …

Toys That Listen: A Study Of Parents, Children, And Internet-Connected Toys, Emily Mcreynolds, Sarah Hubbard, Timothy Lau, Aditya Saraf, Maya Cakmak, Franziska Roesner

Tech Policy Lab

Hello Barbie, CogniToys Dino, and Amazon Echo are part of a new wave of connected toys and gadgets for the home that listen. Unlike the smartphone, these devices are always on, blending into the background until needed. We conducted interviews with parent-child pairs in which they interacted with Hello Barbie and CogniToys Dino, shedding light on children’s expectations of the toys’ “intelligence” and parents’ privacy concerns and expectations for parental controls. We find that children were often unaware that others might be able to hear what was said to the toy, and that some parents draw connections between the toys …

Copyright To The Rescue: Should Copyright Protect Privacy?, Deidre Keller

Journal Publications

While some courts have held that “[i]t is universally recognized . . . that the protection of privacy is not the function of our copyright law,” the remedies afforded copyright owners make pursuing copyright claims an attractive option to privacy plaintiffs. Copyright remedies include the removal of digital copies from the internet and the destruction of physical copies. The extent to which copyright ought to protect privacy interests has been considered in various jurisdictions recently but has not been treated comprehensively by contemporary legal scholars in the United States. This piece seeks to undertake that treatment.

Part II of this …

Making News: Balancing Newsworthiness And Privacy In The Age Of Algorithms, Erin C. Carroll

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In deciding privacy lawsuits against media defendants, courts have for decades deferred to the media. They have given it wide berth to determine what is newsworthy and so, what is protected under the First Amendment. And in doing so, they have often spoken reverently of the editorial process and journalistic decision-making.

Yet, in just the last several years, news production and consumption has changed dramatically. As we get more of our news from digital and social media sites, the role of information gatekeeper is shifting from journalists to computer engineers, programmers, and app designers. The algorithms that the latter write …

Teaching The Hipaa Privacy Rule: Illustrative Comparisons, Stacey A. Tovino

Faculty Articles

Twenty years ago, President Clinton signed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) into law. Over the past two decades, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published several sets of rules implementing the Administrative Simplification provisions within HIPAA as well as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical (HITECH) Act within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). These rules include, but certainly are not limited to, a final rule published on January 25, 2013, governing the use and disclosure of protected health information by covered entities and their business associates (the …

The Effect Of Legislation On Fourth Amendment Protection, Orin S. Kerr

Michigan Law Review

When judges interpret the Fourth Amendment, and privacy legislation regulates the government’s conduct, should the legislation have an effect on the Fourth Amendment? Courts are split three ways. Some courts argue that legislation provides the informed judgment of a coequal branch that should influence the Fourth Amendment. Some courts contend that the presence of legislation should displace Fourth Amendment protection to prevent constitutional rules from interfering with the legislature’s handiwork. Finally, some courts treat legislation and the Fourth Amendment as independent and contend that the legislation should have no effect. This Article argues that courts should favor interpreting the Fourth …