The European Union is moving to outlaw “hacking tools,” such as programs used to access information without a password. Security researchers are concerned that the new law, if implemented, would hinder their ability to do their jobs and perform important research in cybersecurity. [Wired] The Department of Justice filed suit … More »
Would You Share Your Facebook Password With Your Employer?
As the Washington Post recently reported, employers have started demanding that employees (and potential employees) turn over their Facebook passwords. Recently, according to Ars Technica, a teacher’s aid was suspended for failing to turn over her Facebook login information after a parent complained about a posted photograph. Facebook has instructed users … More »
What’s in the News
Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi was convicted of all charges against him relating to his use of a webcam to spy on his roommate. The charges included invasion of privacy and bias intimidation. [N. Y. Times] The Eleventh Circuit has found that being forced to decrypt an encrypted hard … More »
Court Overturns Conviction of Accused Goldman Sachs Code Thief
According to an article in the New York Times, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned the conviction of Sergey Aleynikov, a former Goldman Sachs programmer. Mr. Aleynikov was convicted of transferring vital source code from Goldman Sachs to a server in Germany in violation of the Economic Espionage Act. At issue in … More »
What’s in the News
A Pennsylvania firm is suing a former partner and the firm he now works for claiming that he secretly installed software on their computer system to steal client files. [Law.com] The hacker group Anonymous hacked into the email accounts of top Syrian government officials, including President Bashar al-Assad. The password … More »
Difficutlies Ahead for Prosecutors in Megaupload Case
Jennifer Granick at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School has an interesting post about the difficulties prosecutors will face in the Megaupload case. According to Ms. Granick, while it might be possible to prove civil liability, it will be extremely difficult to prove the willfulness requirement … More »
Good News for Technophobes!
It can be intimidating and a little overwhelming to stay abreast of all the new technologies inundating the legal field. This brief post from the Lawyerist reminds us that, as important as technology is to the legal profession, it’s not everything. At the end of the day, new technology may help some lawyers … More »
Supreme Court Rules Unanimously Against Warrantless GPS Tracking
The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that GPS tracking of a suspect’s car for an extended period of time without a warrant violates the Fourth Amendment (PDF opinion). The District Court had ruled that data about the car when it was at the suspect’s private residence was a inadmissible because … More »
The Circuit is Back from Hiatus
William & Mary Law School is back in session and The Circuit is back from hiatus. Here are some stories you might have missed over the break. Congress is working on a number of new laws dealing with national security and access to computer data. The founder of the file-sharing … More »