In a case that seems like deja vu all over again, the Minnesota Court of Appeals held that posting someone else’s embarrassing personal information on the Internet can be a legal invasion of privacy, regardless of how many people view the site. In this case, the personal information concerned a woman’s sexually transmitted disease that…
Author: Dissent
Prescription drug fight goes before appeals court
So-called data-mining companies that collect information about the drugs doctors prescribe asked an appeals court Tuesday to stop Vermont from enacting a law next week restricting their work. Attorney Thomas Julin told a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that it would violate the First Amendment rights of the companies if…
Security Breach Announced at Cornell
A stolen Cornell University computer has compromised the personal information of thousands of members of the University community. The computer contained the names and social security number of current and former students as well as current and former faculty and staff members. An e-mail obtained by WVBR said that currently, no misuse of this sensitive…
TJX Settles with 41 States
TJX announced that it has settled with 41 Attorneys General over its massive data breach that they disclosed two years ago. In its statement, TJX denied that it broke any laws, saying, “TJX firmly believes that it did not violate any consumer protection or data security laws.” Under the terms of the settlement, as described…
Malaysia passes DNA law before Anwar sodomy case
Malaysia has passed a law that will force criminal suspects to provide DNA samples, despite opposition complaints that the bill was aimed at legitimizing evidence in the sodomy trial of their leader Anwar Ibrahim. Under the act, which parliament passed today with a simple majority, courts can compel suspects to provide non-intimate DNA samples such…
Beam Global reports breach of human resources database
On June 15, attorneys for Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. informed (pdf) the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office that there had been unauthorized access of a Human Resources/Payroll database by a former employee back in February. Notification of individuals was delayed reportedly at the request of law enforcement. When it discovered the breach, the…