Socially Aware

August 04, 2017 - Marketing, Privacy
Privacy Law Considerations in Tracking Event Attendees’ Whereabouts
By: Aaron P. Rubin
More and more often, the organizers of conferences, trade shows and events are taking advantage of beacon technology to track attendees’ movement throughout their conventions’ sessions and event spaces. Although no U.S. law specifically prohibits such tracking, the FTC has made it clear that
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July 16, 2017 - European Union, Data Security, Privacy
German Parliament Enacts Wide-ranging Surveillance Powers Allowing End User Devices to Be Hacked by Authorities
By: Christoph Nüßing
On June 22, 2017, the German Parliament passed a bill that, among other things, awards extensive surveillance powers to law enforcement authorities. The new law, once in force, will allow law enforcement to covertly install software on end user devices allowing the interception of
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May 22, 2017 - Privacy, Stored Communications Act, Litigation
New York’s Highest Court Rebuffs Facebook’s Efforts to Protect the Rights of Its Users in Search Warrant Fight
By: J. Alexander Lawrence
Facebook’s four-year battle on behalf of its users, seeking to quash 381 warrants obtained by the New York County District Attorney’s Office, has come to a close. The decision of the New York Court of Appeals—which is New York’s highest court—leaves Facebook users exposed
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May 17, 2017 - Data Security, Privacy
8 Steps to Avoid Being the Victim of the Next Ransomware Attack
By: Nathan D. Taylor
The global WannaCry ransomware attack should be a wake up call for all companies about the threat ransomware poses. While WannaCry was one of the first highly publicized attacks in which ransomware was weaponized and used against numerous companies at once, there will undoubtedly
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May 03, 2017 - Privacy, Stored Communications Act, Litigation
Court Orders Google to Turn Over Foreign-Stored Data
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently secured a notable victory against Google in a dispute over the enforceability of a U.S. search warrant seeking access to foreign-stored account data. The April 19 ruling—from Magistrate Judge Beeler in the U.S. District Court for the
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April 20, 2017 - DMCA, European Union, Marketing, Privacy, Copyright, Section 230 Safe Harbor, Mobile, Litigation
Now Available: The April Issue of Our Socially Aware Newsletter
By: Aaron P. Rubin
The latest issue of our Socially Aware newsletter is now available here. In this edition, we explore the threat to U.S. jobs posed by rapid advances in emerging technologies; we examine a Federal Trade Commission report on how companies engaging in cross-device tracking can stay on
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April 11, 2017 - First Amendment, Cyberbullying, Privacy, Free Speech
Social Links: Twitter sues U.S. government to protect account holder’s ID; Minn. court orders Google to disclose users who searched crime victim’s name; Facebook targets revenge porn
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Twitter is suing the Department of Homeland Security in an attempt to void a summons demanding records that would identify the creator of an anti-Trump Twitter account. Facebook has joined the fight against the nonconsensual dissemination of sexually explicit photos online—content known as “revenge
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March 07, 2017 - Internet of Things, Data Security, Privacy
Watch Out: The Federal Trade Commission Continues to Watch the (Alleged) Watchers
By: Julie O'Neill
If your company collects information regarding consumers though Internet-connected devices, you will want to take note of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent privacy-related settlement (brought in conjunction with the New Jersey Attorney General) with smart TV manufacturer Vizio, Inc. The settlement is significant
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February 23, 2017 - Data Security, Privacy, Stored Communications Act
Google Ordered to Comply with Warrant for Foreign-Stored User Data
In a major development for cloud and other data storage providers, and further complicating the legal landscape for the cross-border handling of data, a Federal Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled for the Department of Justice and ordered Google, Inc., to
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February 16, 2017 - European Union, Privacy
The Hague District Court’s WhatsApp Decision Creates Concerns for Mobile App Developers
By: Alex van der Wolk
Can the mere offering of a mobile app subject the provider of such app to the privacy laws of countries in the European Union (EU)—even if the provider does not have any establishments or presence in the EU? The answer from the District Court
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