Terry Baynes reports: The hacking of a Sony Corp customer database this spring has attracted class-action lawyers and consumers eager to cash in on the high-profile privacy breach. At least 40 lawsuits have been filed–including at least two this week–on behalf of millions of Sony PlayStation users in federal courts, according to Westlaw data. […]…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
UK: Police officers disciplined over private snooping [repost]
[repost] More than 50 police officers in the West Midlands have been disciplined for using police computer systems to check up on people for personal reasons. Some officers have been sacked, fined, or handed written warnings, and others have been reduced in rank after being caught obtaining information for private use between 2005 and 2010,…
German DPAs Publish Comprehensive FAQs on Statutory Data Breach Notification Requirement [repost]
[repost] The German Data Protection Authorities of Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia have issued a paper containing Frequently Asked Questions about the German statutory data breach notification requirement that went into effect on September 1, 2009. The paper provides detailed information on key questions concerning the procedure for notification as required by Section 42a of the…
Sony Will Testify on PlayStation Hack; Hirai Letter Answers Questions
Mark Hachman reports: Sony will testify at a House privacy hearing on June 2, after earlier refusing to appear. In a letter to lawmakers, Sony also provided more details about the attacks. An aide for Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.), chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, said…
Web leaders urge global pact on data security
Georgina Prodhan and Leila Abboud report: Internet executives meeting in Paris will urge G8 leaders to adopt an international approach to protecting users’ personal data but will recommend leaving the thorny issue of copyright protection largely to national governments, according to a draft communiqué seen by Reuters. The so-called eG8 forum, which has attracted Internet…
Michaels Breach: Who’s Liable?
Tracy Kitten reports: …. What role should merchants play, when it comes to ensuring transactional security, and how should financial institutions, as card-issuers, fall into the fray? Attorney Randy Sabett, partner and co-chair of the Internet and Data Protection practice at law firm SNR Denton LLP, says the liability lines are often blurred and hard to…