Politico: Digital privacy gets push from the right

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

Politico reports that Republican lawmakers have shown increasing interest in online privacy rights and proposals to update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (“ECPA,” also known as Title 18 § 2511 of the United States Code): Momentum to update the nation’s antiquated email privacy laws is again coursing through the Capitol — and ...

Update: Idaho Joins States Restricting Use of Drones by Police

Monday, April 15th, 2013

To recap: In the last year, there has been increasing focus on the issue of domestic use of aerial drones (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, “UAVs”) to conduct surveillance. Months ago, Congress approved the FAA reauthorization bill, which includes a provision to integrate the use of aerial surveillance by drones in the United States by 2015. In July, drone makers ...

New York Daily News: ‘We’re going to have more visibility and less privacy’

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

The New York Daily News reports on privacy, civil liberties and surveillance issues as discussed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I). He talked about the use of aerial drones (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, “UAVs”) to conduct surveillance in the United States. See a recent post for more on moves in state ...

McClatchy: Mobile wallet technology raises privacy, security concerns

Friday, March 22nd, 2013

McClatchy reports on technology that allows individuals to pay for products through their mobile devices, such as smartphones, and how the technology raises privacy and security questions: As the number of neighborhood bank branches dwindles, Americans increasingly use their mobile phones to manage money and shop. Payments made via mobile ...

Hill: House to examine email privacy rules

Monday, March 18th, 2013

The Hill reports that the House Judiciary Committee will begin a series of hearings on privacy on Tuesday. The committee will examine proposals to update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (“ECPA,” also known as Title 18 § 2511 of the United States Code). The Hill reports: The House Judiciary Committee will hold ...

Reuters: U.S. plans to let spy agencies scour Americans’ finances

Thursday, March 14th, 2013

Reuters has an exclusive report that says the United States government plans to give its spy agencies access to a database containing the finances of Americans and others who use U.S. banks: The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive ...

FTC Charges 29 People Over Text Message Spam

Friday, March 8th, 2013

The Federal Trade Commission announced that it has charged 29 people in eight actions in courts in the United States over text message spam: The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on affiliate marketers that allegedly bombarded consumers with hundreds of millions of unwanted spam text messages in an effort ...

Events of Interest: Panel Discussion on the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (March 6)

Wednesday, February 27th, 2013

The Constitution Project will host a panel discussion on the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (“ECPA,” also known as Title 18 § 2511 of the United States Code) on March 6 (registration required): Please join The Constitution Project for an examination of the current debate surrounding efforts to reform the Electronic Communications ...

Update: Virginia Legislature Passes Partial Drone Ban, but Governor Debating Veto

Monday, February 25th, 2013

We’ve discussed the increasing focus on the issue of use of aerial drones (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, “UAVs”) to conduct surveillance in the United States. See a recent post for more on moves in state and federal legislatures concerning privacy and restrictions on such domestic use of drones. Now, the Washington ...

Update on ‘Suspicionless’ Searches of Electronic Devices at the United States Border

Monday, February 11th, 2013

We’ve talked before about the issue of government searches of individuals’ electronic devices at the U.S. border. In 2008, we learned that the Bush administration (via the Department of Homeland Security) had steadily broadened its search and seizure powers at the United States border. Basically, the federal government said that border officials can ...

Update: NYPD Is Considering Using Drones to Monitor Crowds

Monday, January 14th, 2013

In the last year, there has been increasing focus on the issue of domestic use of aerial drones (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, “UAVs”) to conduct surveillance. Several months ago, Congress approved the FAA reauthorization bill, which includes a provision to integrate the use of aerial surveillance by drones in the United States by 2015. (Read a previous ...

Recent Op-Eds on Privacy and E-mail Surveillance, FISA and Drones

Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

Here are a few recent opinion columns and editorials about e-mail surveillance, FISA and the use of drones. Time has an op-ed on e-mail privacy and the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (“ECPA,” also known as Title 18 § 2511 of the United States Code). The Verge has an op-ed about the recent reauthorization of ...