Civil Rights › Privacy › Communications & Media Law

Telecommunications Companies Release Guiding Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy

The Telecommunications Industry Dialogue, a group of eight telecommunications companies, recently published a set of Guiding Principles on freedom of expression and privacy. Originally formed in 2011, the Industry Dialogue...more

In Clapper v. Amnesty International, Supreme Court Dismisses Privacy Suit for Lack of Article III Standing: Poses a Clear and...

In 2008, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was amended, broadening the surveillance powers of the federal government with respect to communications outside of the United States. In Clapper v. Amnesty...more

President Obama's Executive Order: "Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity"

Full text copy of President Obama's executive order calling for greater protections against cybersecurity risks, as mentioned in his Feb 12, 2013, State of the Union address. The order is meant to bring more security and...more

A Three Course Meal For The New Year

Happy New Year. So much has happened while you spent the holidays undoubtedly velobinding and wrapping the 2012 archives of this blog for your friends and loved ones. So I thought I’d welcome everyone back by updating some...more

Social Media and Beyond: California Ushers in New Employment Laws for 2013

The California legislature was particularly busy this past session in enacting new laws that directly affect employers in 2013. The new laws address a wide variety of topics, including social media protections for employees;...more

Sex, E-mail & Privacy – You Have Privacy Rights For As Long As No One Is Interested

On November 15, 2012, the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conference (SOGIC) of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) held a seminar on “Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity: Managing Personal Privacy and Reputational...more

Employment Law Reporter – November 2012

In This Issue: - When Social Media Becomes Anti-Social - SB1255: A New Law That Lacks Common Sense - Employees Given Greater Access to Personnel Records - New Law Halts Explicit Mutual Wage Agreements - Nursing...more

Federal Monitoring of Communications Shows Dramatic Increase

Federal law enforcement officials have dramatically increased their monitoring of telephones and email and network data, the ACLU reported. The finding was based on responses by the Justice Department to Freedom of...more

Oyunlaştırma Tehlike mi Fırsat mı

The paper is about a new stream called Gamification. Gamification has both risks & chances in its' concept for mankind. İt can be used to help you do daily jobs by having fun and on the other hand it can be used to...more

If the topless pictures of Kate Middleton were taken in Massachusetts, would she have had a legal claim under Massachusetts law...

If you believe you may have a claim for violation of your privacy rights or are a party to a court case that involves the right to privacy, you may what to give this post a read. Contact: George E. Bourguignon, Jr.,...more

Social Media in the Workplace - July 2012

These are the days of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, IM, MMS and SMS. We blog, we tweet, we post, we follow, we like, we comment, we pin, we text—and while doing so, we have blurred the lines between...more

Advertising Law -- July 12, 2012

In This Issue: Wyndham's Misrepresentations About Security Lead to FTC Suit; Consumer Groups Take Aim at Claritin's Ad Campaign; Facebook "Likes" California AG's App Agreement; ADA Applies to Online Businesses, Court...more

Police Accessing Private Cell Phone Data at a Stunning Rate

Police agencies across the country requested over 1.3 million cell phone records in 2011, according to data provided to Congress by mobile companies. What the police can and can’t ask for without a warrant is still an...more

Employers Should Be Wary Of Information They Gather Online About Employees

Maryland recently became the first state in the country to ban employers from asking both employees and job applicants for their social media passwords. The bill, which passed both houses of Maryland’s legislature, is...more

Vague Definitions in CISPA Raise Concerns of SOPA 2.0 [Video]

April 12 (Bloomberg Law) -- Trevor Timm, activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, talks with Bloomberg Law's Lee Pacchia about the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), a new bill that attempts to...more

Big Brother May be Tracking You

The government could be tracking your every move, and there’s little you can do to stop it – or even to find out who is watching – according to a recent investigation by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU...more

Cellphones Searched Without a Warrant in Some States

By Krystina Steffen, staff In Good Practice writer – August 24, 2011 States have laws that must be applied when police search a car or a home, including obtaining a warrant to legally search these places. But with new...more

Social Media -- Policies, Litigation, and Trends

IN THIS PRESENTATION Roadmap • Social Media Overview -- The Rise of Social Media Use -- What's Next?..... • Legal Considerations for Employers -- Laws Implicated -- Background Checks -...more

Max Mosley v UK

loses ECHR privacy case

Quentin Bargate, Senior Partner of the City of London law firm Bargate Murray, and a solicitor for nearly 29 years, comments on the Max Mosley case and whether there is a need for a well-crafted privacy law in England...more

Hall v. LipstickAlley.com

Response to order to show cause why Lipstick Alley should not be ordered to identify anonymous user

Paul Levy of Public Citizen is the primary author of this brief. This description is taken from Public Citizen's website (http://www.citizen.org/litigation/forms/cases/getlinkforcase.cfm?cID=655). Jermaine Hall, the...more

"Belongs To The Company" Means Exactly That

In Holmes v. Petrovich Development Company, plaintiff Gina Holmes sued her former employer for sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, violation of the right to privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional...more

What’s Not To Like About Social Media?

Whether it is the creation of instant stardom for a homeless man (the “voice” Ted Williams) through a viral YouTube video, or the tweeting of a congresswoman’s imminent meeting in a parking lot and subsequent tweeting of the...more

Legal Aspects of Social Networking and Online Media Platforms

Seminar Overview: *Why you should be concerned about social media *Best practices for drafting and implementing a social media policy *Legal Issues – “Similar Issues, New Platforms” ..(1) Association Use of On-line...more

Social Networking from 9-5: Unique Legal Challenges Facing Employers

Seminar Overview: *Tools of the Trade *Why employees use social media *Why you should be concerned that employees use social media *Best practices for drafting and implementing a social media...more

Parsa Law Group, APC, v. Bad Biz Finder, et al.

Letter requesting removal of an allegedly defamatory blog comment

In response to an article on my blog about the bankruptcy loan modification bill that was recently defeated, I received a comment from someone calling herself "Bad Biz Finder". The commenter accused the Parsa Law Group, a...more