Privacy Law Commons^™

Internet Intermediary Liability In Defamation, Emily B. Laidlaw, Hilary Young

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

Given the broad meaning of publication in defamation law, internet intermediaries such as internet service providers, search engines, and social media companies may be liable for defamatory content posted by third parties. This article argues that current law is not suitable to dealing with issues of internet defamation and intermediary responsibility because it is needlessly complex, confusing, and may impose liability without blameworthiness. Instead, the article proposes that publication be redefined to require a deliberate act of communicating specific words. This would better reflect blameworthiness and few intermediaries would be liable in defamation under this test. That said, intermediaries profit …

Re-Imagining Resolution Of Online Defamation Disputes, Emily B. Laidlaw

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

If an individual or company is defamed online, they have two options to resolve the dispute, absent a technical solution. They can complain to an intermediary or launch a civil action. Both are deficient for a variety of reasons. Civil litigation is often unsuitable given the nature of online communications (across different platforms, jurisdictions, involving multiple parties, and spread with ease), the length and cost of litigation, and the ineffectiveness of traditional remedies. Intermediary dispute resolution processes can sometimes be effective, but lack industry standards and due process, place intermediaries in pseudo-judicial roles, and depend on the changeable commitments of …

Committed To Treatment?: The Potential Role Of Involuntary Hospitalization In West Virginia’S Response To The Opioid Epidemic, Quentin T. Collie

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ways Of Watching: Bringing Equality Thinking To Regulation Of "New" Technology, Sonia Lawrence

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Functional Secrecy, Laura K. Donohue

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Many theorists consider secrecy inimical to liberal democracy. Precise examination of the role that it plays in contemporary government, however, including its strengths and weaknesses, has been limited. This chapter, accordingly, lays out a functional theory of secrecy, considering its role in the three branches of government in four contexts: deliberation, information security, law, and adjudicatory processes. Whether and to what extent cloaking information advances the interests of the state and society varies according to how it operates in each category. First, deliberative secrecy carries significant advantages: it can facilitate informed debate and honest exchange, allowing individuals to alter their …

Catalyzing Privacy Law, Anupam Chander, Margot E. Kaminski, William Mcgeveran

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The United States famously lacks a comprehensive federal data privacy law. In the past year, however, over half the states have proposed broad privacy bills or have established task forces to propose possible privacy legislation. Meanwhile, congressional committees are holding hearings on multiple privacy bills. What is catalyzing this legislative momentum? Some believe that Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in 2018, is the driving factor. But with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) which took effect in January 2020, California has emerged as an alternate contender in the race to set the new standard for …

Bleeding Out: The Case For Strengthening Healthcare Client Portal Data Privacy Regulations, Matthew D. Mccord

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

Centralizing Energy Consumption Data In State Energy Data Centers, Zach Sibley

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

The Equifax Data Breach: An Opportunity To Improve Consumer Protection And Cybersecurity Efforts In America, Gregory S. Gaglione Jr.

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

21st Century-Style Truth Decay: Deep Fakes And The Challenge For Privacy, Free Expression, And National Security, Robert Chesney, Danielle Keats Citron

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Mind Your Businesses: Why Georgia Companies Should Worry About European Privacy Law, Emily E. Seaton

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Algorithms At Work: Productivity Monitoring Applications And Wearable Technology As The New Data-Centric Research Agenda For Employment And Labor Law, Ifeoma Ajunwa

AI-DR Collection

Recent work technology advancements such as productivity monitoring platforms and wearable technology have given rise to new organizational behavior regarding the management of employees and also prompt new legal questions regarding the protection of workers’ privacy rights. In this Essay, I argue that the proliferation of productivity monitoring applications and wearable technologies will lead to new legal controversies for employment and labor law. In Part I, I assert that productivity monitoring applications will prompt a new reckoning of the balance between the employer’s pecuniary interests in monitoring productivity and the employees’ privacy interests. Ironically, such applications may also be both …

Identities Lost: Enacting Federal Law Mandating Disclosure & Notice After A Data Security Breach, John Ogle

Arkansas Law Review

Identity theft is real, it’s here, and consumers need protection. Over the past five years hackers have stolen billions of consumers’ sensitive information like social security numbers, addresses, and bank routing numbers from companies that have neglected their security measures. Most of the time these security breaches are easily preventable. Companies sometimes wait weeks, months, or even years to inform the customers whose information was stolen because there is no federal law that requires disclosure. As of 2018, all 50 states have adopted security breach notification laws that require companies to inform consumers that their information may have been stolen …

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 …

A New Third-Party Doctrine: The Telephone Metadata Program And Carpenter V. United States, Mary-Kathryn Takeuchi

Notre Dame Law Review

This Note will answer the question of whether bulk metadata collection is still defensible under the third-party doctrine. It ultimately concludes that Chief Justice Roberts incorrectly asserted that Carpenter v. United States will not impact the application of the third-party doctrine to collection techniques involving national security, and that the warrantless collection of bulk metadata under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is no longer defensible by the third-party doctrine. In Section I.A, this Note discusses traditional Fourth Amendment jurisprudence in Katz v. United States and the establishment of the third-party doctrine as a bright-line rule in United States v. Miller …

Comparative Analysis Of The Eu’S Gdpr And Brazil’S Lgpd: Enforcement Challenges With The Lgpd, Abigayle Erickson

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

In the wake of the adoption of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018, other countries and jurisdictions have contemplated personal data privacy legislation. In August 2018, the former president of Brazil, Michel Temer, signed the country’s comprehensive data privacy regulation, Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais (LGPD), into law. Temer, however, vetoed many of the enforcement provisions. Shortly before leaving office, Temer signed an executive order creating a regulatory agency as the bill initially called for, but situated the agency under executive control instead of creating a wholly independent agency. This Note provides a …

Cell Phones And The Border Search Exception: Circuits Split Over The Line Between Sovereignty And Privacy, Gina R. Bohannon

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Drone Invasion: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles And The Right To Privacy, Rebecca L. Scharf

Indiana Law Journal

Since the birth of the concept of a legally recognized right to privacy in Samuel D. Warren and Louis D. Brandeis’ influential 1890 law review article, “The Right to Privacy,” common law—with the aid of influential scholars—has massaged the concept of privacy torts into actionable claims. But now, one of the most innovative technological advancements in recent years, the unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, has created difficult challenges for plaintiffs and courts navigating common law privacy tort claims.

This Article explores the challenges of prosecution of the specific privacy tort of intrusion upon seclusion involving nongovernmental use of drone technology. …

The Need For A Shared Responsibility Regime Between State And Non-State Actors To Prevent Human Rights Violations Caused By Cyber-Surveillance Spyware, Anna W. Chan

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Technology has undoubtedly contributed to the field of human rights. Internet connection and a smartphone has enabled activists to call out political leaders, shine light on human atrocities and organize mass protests through social media platforms. This has resulted in many authoritarian governments spending large amounts of their resources to purchase cyber-surveillance spyware systems from multi-national corporations to closely monitor and track their citizens for any signs of dissidence. Such technology has enabled authoritarian regimes to commit human right violations ranging from invasion of privacy, arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention, torture and even murder. Despite the uncovering of such questionable transactions …

Automated License Plate Readers: The Difficult Balance Of Solving Crime And Protecting Individual Privacy, Lauren Fash

Maryland Law Review Online

No abstract provided.