Cybersecurity & Privacy

  • April 23, 2024

    3 More Charged In Iranian Hacks Of Treasury, State Depts.

    New York federal prosecutors have charged three more Iranian men for their alleged roles in a hacking campaign targeting the U.S. departments of Treasury and State as well as companies that held security clearances with the American government.

  • April 23, 2024

    Fla. Atty Subpoenas Google To ID User Posting Fake Reviews

    A Florida state court judge granted a motion Tuesday to subpoena Google to unmask what's alleged to be a single anonymous user posting defamatory reviews about a Miami-based attorney and her law firm, arguing that the First Amendment doesn't protect false statements meant to deceive consumers.

  • April 23, 2024

    Colo. Neural Privacy Law Has Attys Scratching Their Heads

    Colorado's governor signed the nation's first law specifically protecting neural data last week, but privacy attorneys say key caveats in the legislation leave them unsure how far the measure really goes.

  • April 23, 2024

    Lin Wood Seeks Defamation Suit Pause Amid Insurance Spat

    Counsel for disbarred attorney Lin Wood has asked a Georgia federal judge to halt a defamation suit brought by Wood's former colleagues while a spat over his legal insurance plays out in the Georgia court system.

  • April 23, 2024

    Indicted 'Magician' Tax Preparer's Clients Under Scrutiny

    Clients of a New York City-based tax preparer who earned the nickname "the magician," allegedly making $15 million while fraudulently depriving the IRS of $100 million, may also face charges, a prosecutor told the federal judge in charge of the case on Tuesday.

  • April 22, 2024

    Ransomware Still On Rise Despite Better Defenses, Firm Says

    Companies are becoming more adept at fending off and responding to a steady stream of ransomware attacks, but hackers' ability to continue to profit from these incidents and increased scrutiny by regulators and the plaintiffs' bar will keep pressure on companies to remain vigilant, according to a new BakerHostetler report.

  • April 22, 2024

    HHS Finalizes Rule Bolstering Abortion Privacy Protections

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday issued a finalized version of its new rule that aims to protect the privacy of abortion providers and patients by prohibiting the disclosure of information related to "lawful reproductive health care," according to an announcement made by the agency.

  • April 22, 2024

    T-Mobile Can't Dodge Stolen Nude Photos Suit

    T-Mobile can't dodge most of a suit seeking to hold the mobile behemoth liable for allegations that one of its employees stole nude photos from a customer's phone, which she turned in as part of a trade-in offer, a Washington federal court has ruled.

  • April 22, 2024

    Social Media MDL Attys Ordered To Sort Out Confidentiality

    A California federal judge presiding over discovery in multidistrict litigation over whether social media platforms' design is addictive warned parties at a hearing Monday not to ask him to resolve disputes over confidentiality designations, asking repeatedly, "Why do they matter?" and saying, "These are the kinds of things that lawyers should work out."

  • April 22, 2024

    Amazon Illegally Gathered Workers' Face Scans, Suit Says

    Amazon.com Services faces a proposed class action filed Monday in Illinois federal court accusing the retail giant of gathering employees' facial geometry scans and sharing them with various third parties without first receiving the employees' written consent in violation of the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act.

  • April 22, 2024

    Hedge Funder's IRS Suit Over Leaked Tax Info Gets Trimmed

    A Florida federal judge on Monday dismissed part of a hedge fund executive's case seeking to hold the Internal Revenue Service accountable for a leak of his private tax data to the media, saying he failed to show he suffered any damages.

  • April 22, 2024

    Conn. Lawmaker Wants To Allow Suits For AI Discrimination

    Connecticut citizens should be able to bring private lawsuits if an artificial intelligence system discriminates against them, a key lawmaker said Monday as the state's judiciary committee voted to advance a bill regulating the use of AI programs that can make significant decisions for consumers in the state.

  • April 22, 2024

    Palo Alto Networks Execs Face Suit Over Misleading Outlook

    Executives and directors of cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit in California federal court alleging they misled investors about the success of its platform consolidation strategy, which was expected to result in lucrative government contracts.

  • April 22, 2024

    Congress Can Enact Corp. Transparency, Orgs Tell 11th Circ.

    Congress is empowered to require American companies to report their beneficial owners to the federal government because there is ample evidence they've previously been used to fund hostile foreign actors, evade sanctions and traffic drugs, two think tanks told the Eleventh Circuit in an amici brief.

  • April 22, 2024

    GM, Others Sued For Sharing Driver Data With Insurers

    Two New Jersey drivers say they saw increases in their insurance premiums after General Motors and its OnStar unit allegedly used apps installed in their vehicles to illegally share driver data with consumer reporting agencies and insurance carriers without their consent.

  • April 22, 2024

    Google Faces Sanctions Bid Over Alleged Data Destruction

    A putative class of Google account holders urged a California magistrate judge to sanction and hold Google in contempt for purportedly intentionally destroying key evidence in their suit, which claims Google's ad auction practices violate privacy rights, arguing Google has a pattern of the alleged misconduct in the district.

  • April 22, 2024

    EU Threatens To Suspend 'Addictive' TikTok App Features

    The European Commission warned TikTok on Monday that it may suspend a key feature of the video sharing platform's new app that rewards users for watching videos unless it addresses the watchdog's concerns about addictive elements of the new app and its risk to mental health. 

  • April 22, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week, Delaware's Chancery Court news included a Tesla announcement about moving to Texas, a midcase appeal of Tripadvisor's move to Nevada, and United Airlines' escape from a stockholder suit. Disputes about board entrenchment, squeeze-out mergers, co-founder fallouts and deadly ice cream moved ahead.

  • April 22, 2024

    Ex-Law Dept. Employee Cops To Workers' Comp Check Thefts

    A former New York City Law Department mail room worker on Monday admitted to a bank fraud conspiracy count after federal prosecutors charged him with a two-year workers' compensation check theft and forgery scheme they say netted $600,000.

  • April 20, 2024

    House Passes Another Bill To Force TikTok Divestment

    The House voted 360-58 on Saturday to pass a bill requiring ByteDance Ltd. to divest TikTok or face a ban in the U.S. and giving the parent company a longer runway to sell the app than a version the House previously passed in March.

  • April 20, 2024

    Power To Spy Without Warrants Renewed For 2 Years

    President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a bill reauthorizing a controversial program to spy on foreigners, hours after the Senate passed it while rejecting a push for warrants to search U.S. citizens' data inadvertently collected while surveilling foreign targets.

  • April 19, 2024

    Edelson Pitches 'Better Way' To Pick Leads In Privacy Suits

    Plaintiffs in proposed privacy class actions should be given more say in who's picked as class counsel, in order to crack down on the "anemic settlements" that have resulted from the ineffective "old way of litigating" these matters, law firm Edelson PC argued in vying for lead counsel in a dispute over a data breach at genetics testing provider 23andMe.

  • April 19, 2024

    Meta Faces Uphill Fight To Nix AG Claims In Addiction MDL

    A California judge expressed skepticism Friday over Meta's bid to ax the claims of 34 state attorneys general from multidistrict litigation over social media platforms' allegedly addictive design, saying Meta and its co-defendants haven't been transparent about how their platforms work, and it's plausible the states can obtain psychiatric treatment receipts to show economic injuries.

  • April 19, 2024

    Don't Let The Rush Into AI Create Risk Blind Spots, Cos. Told

    As corporations increasingly adopt artificial intelligence capabilities into their workflows, they should also implement guardrails to stave off major risks the rapidly evolving technology poses, lawyers said during a New York City Bar panel discussion Friday.

  • April 19, 2024

    TCPA Only Protects Consumers, Fax Co. Worker Says

    One fax services company can't sue another for carrying out what it says is "possibly the largest junk fax operation in the United States" because it doesn't count as a consumer under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, an employee of the company being sued has told a Colorado federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs

    Author Photo

    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Unpacking The Complicated Question Of CIPA's Applicability

    Author Photo

    As the number of California Invasion of Privacy Act cases increases, more and more companies with little-to-no California presence are being hauled into California court, raising questions of when CIPA applies and to whom, says Matthew Pearson at BakerHostetler.

  • Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent

    Author Photo

    Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

  • What To Know About State-Level Health Data Privacy Laws

    Author Photo

    Companies that handle consumer health data, including those in the retail sector, should take a conservative approach when interpreting the scope of new health privacy laws in Washington, Nevada and Connecticut, which may include development of privacy notices, consent procedures, rights request response processes and processor contracts, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • HHS' Updated Tracking Tech Guidance Offers Little Clarity

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights' updated guidance on the use of online tracking technologies appears more focused on legal issues raised in ongoing litigation with the American Hospital Association and less on practical guidance for covered entities, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: Benefits Of MDL Transfers

    Author Photo

    A recent order from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation highlights a critical part of the panel's work — moving cases into an existing MDL — and serves as a reminder that common arguments against such transfers don't outweigh the benefits of coordinating discovery and utilizing lead counsel, says Alan Rothman at Sidley Austin.

  • Ready Or Not, Big Tech Should Expect CFPB Surveillance

    Author Photo

    In light of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed plan to supervise large companies providing the vast majority of digital money transfers, not only will Big Tech have to prepare for regulation previously reserved for traditional banks, but the CFPB will also likely face some difficult decisions and obstacles, says Meredith Osborn at Arnold & Porter.

  • 3 Cybersecurity Takeaways From White House Tech Report

    Author Photo

    Tech companies and software developers should take stock of the Biden administration's push for improved cybersecurity in a recent White House report, especially given that the report lays new building blocks related to potential liability for developers, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.

  • Examining The Arbitration Clause Landscape Amid Risks

    Author Photo

    Amid a new wave of mass arbitrations, recent developments in the courts and from the American Arbitration Association suggest that companies should improve arbitration clause drafting to protect themselves against big-ticket settlements and avoid major potential liability, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Past CCPA Enforcement Sets Path For Compliance Efforts

    Author Photo

    The California Privacy Protection Agency and the California Attorney General's Office haven't skipped a beat in investigating potential noncompliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act, and six broad issues will continue to dominate the enforcement landscape and inform compliance strategy, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Hospitals Must Adapt To Growing Cybercrime Threats

    Author Photo

    As the tide of cybersecurity attacks targeting the healthcare industry continues to grow, hospitals and healthcare providers must take steps to protect themselves, including by replacing legacy records systems and ensuring that business associate agreements address responsibility for breaches, says Christine Chasse at Spencer Fane.

  • How Policymakers Can Preserve The Promise Of Global Trade

    Author Photo

    Global trade faces increasing challenges but could experience a resurgence if long-held approaches adjust and the U.S. accounts for factors that undermine free trade's continuing viability, such as regional trading blocs and the increasing speed of technological advancement, says David Jividen at White & Case.

  • 10 Areas To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting Law

    Author Photo

    The near future holds a number of key areas to watch in aerospace and defense contracting law, ranging from dramatic developments in the space industry to recent National Defense Authorization Act updates, which are focused on U.S. leadership in emerging technologies, say Joseph Berger and Chip Purcell at Thompson Hine.

  • Meta Data Scraping Case Has Lessons For Platforms, AI Cos.

    Author Photo

    The California federal court ruling that artificial intelligence company Bright Data's scraping of public data from Meta social media sites does not constitute a breach of contract signals that platforms should review their terms of service and AI companies could face broad implications for their training of algorithms, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Cybersecurity & Privacy archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!