Brett Weinstein

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Coalition of States Sues Meta for Alleged Harms to Children and Teens, and Alleged COPPA Violations

On October 24, 2023, a bipartisan coalition of 33 states’ attorneys general filed suit against Meta Platforms, Inc., alleging in a lengthy complaint that Meta’s social media platform features are unsafe and designed to induce young users’ compulsive and extended use.[1] According to the complaint, which is currently heavily redacted, Meta engaged in a four-part … Continue Reading

FTC Outlines Potential Changes to Enhance Privacy and Security Enforcement Efforts If Given More Resources

On June 19, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) submitted to Congress two reports that Congress requested in connection with the spending bill that funds the FTC. One of these reports (the “Resources Report”) describes the resources used and needed by the FTC to protect consumer privacy and security, and the second (the “Authorities Report”) describes … Continue Reading

U.S. Supreme Court Requires Warrant for Law Enforcement Requests for Location Information from Third Parties

The U.S. Supreme Court has handed down a major decision, Carpenter v. United States,1 concerning the Fourth Amendment’s application to the rapidly evolving technological landscape. The 5-4 decision dramatically alters the status quo concerning government requests for data about individuals that is collected and held by third parties. Under Carpenter, personal location information maintained by … Continue Reading

California Enacts Sweeping Privacy Law to Avert Potential Ballot Measure

In a surprising twist, the California legislature rushed last week to pass one of the most comprehensive privacy laws in the country. The bill was introduced only a week prior, and within hours of passage, it was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. As strict as the act is, it was enacted to avoid … Continue Reading

Congress Enacts the CLOUD Act, Granting Law Enforcement Access to Information Stored Abroad, and Mooting U.S. v. Microsoft

On March 23, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, which contained a section entitled the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act. The CLOUD Act significantly revises the rules underlying law enforcement requests for access to communications information stored abroad, and may have far-reaching implications for companies that collect, … Continue Reading

Alabama Becomes Final State to Enact Data Breach Notification Law

On June 1, 2018, the Alabama Data Breach Notification Act of 2018 will take effect. In addition to being the last state to enact a breach notification law, Alabama’s new law distinguishes itself in a variety of unique ways. Consistent with other state breach notification laws, the new law defines “sensitive personally identifying information” maintained … Continue Reading

New Policy for Device Searches at Borders Issued by CBP

In early January 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced an updated policy for searching electronic devices at U.S. borders. The new directive supersedes a previous directive that was released in August 2009. Under the policy, CBP agents—with or without suspicion—may conduct a “basic search” of electronic devices encountered at the border, including smartphones … Continue Reading

FTC Holds Workshop on Informational Injury

On December 12, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a workshop to examine consumer injury in the context of privacy and data security. The motivation for the workshop, according to Acting FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen, was to help the FTC better understand consumer informational injury, weigh effectively the benefits of intervention against its inevitable … Continue Reading
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