On October 3, 2019, the United States and the United Kingdom signed the first ever Clarifying Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act executive agreement, which allows cross-border sharing of electronic data with law enforcement agencies regarding serious crimes. The goal of the agreement was prompted by the countries’ interest in combating crime – including terrorism, …
The opioid epidemic has resulted from a myriad of causes and will not be solved by any simple solution but rather through a multi-pronged approach that targets each of the contributing factors. The complex opioid epidemic was produced by multiple players in the healthcare industry including: pharmaceutical companies, physicians, hospital administrators and the Centers …
Since the FCC repealed Obama-era net neutrality rules, the topic has been one of fervent debate. The 2015 rules specifically prohibited three activities by ISPs: outright blocking of content, throttling (or increasing the load times) of content, and creating “fast lanes” (decreasing the load times) of content. The now-repealed 2015 guidelines were a vital …
We all know how easy it is to accept a company’s privacy policy. One click, the “accept” button turns green, and we are free to use the technology without a further thought. A 2017 study found that more than 90% of people accept privacy policies without more than a glance. Most of us do …
With the 2020 Presidential election fast approaching, candidates are becoming increasingly creative with their campaigns. While traditional forms of campaigning such as advertisements on television and radio are still being used, more and more candidates are turning to social media to reach the public. Between May 2018 and July 2019, for example, President Trump …
According to a report on online child sexual abuse, rates of online child abuse and exploitation have increased exponentially in the past few years. Online child abuse and exploitation can take on many forms, but the most prevalent types of these cybercrimes are the sexual solicitation of minors and the sharing of sexually explicit photos …
Ninety-eight percent of all Americans have a cell phone of some kind. There is very little variation in cell phone ownership among demographics such as sex, age, race, education, or income. Eighty-one percent of cellphone owners have a smartphone. A fundamental feature of smartphones are the ability to access the web and download applications or …
Last week, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit handed down its long-awaited ruling in Mozilla v. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In the decision, the court upheld the FCC’s repeal of certain so-called “net neutrality” regulations that blocked internet service providers (ISPs) such as Comcast and AT&T from, among other things, …
An amendment to rule 37(e) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) in 2015 has had a significant impact on litigation as of late. There has been a 35% decrease in sanctions resulting from E-discovery spoliation of electronically stored information (ESI) post the amendment. FRCP 37(e) applies to the “failure to preserve stored information.” …
California’s Assembly Bill No. 5 (AB-5), known as the “Gig Economy Bill”, was viewed by many as an important and necessary step to protect the lives of working people, but the bill is already creating problems for Tech companies, their employees, and even consumers. A “gig economy” is a labor market characterized by the prevalence …
