Grindr, the world’s largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans and queer people, recently became the center of attention in the U.S. – China “trade war.” In late March, a panel of U.S. governmental agencies titled the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), informed the owner of the app that its…
Tag: privacy
Breaking Down GDPR and its Influence on U.S. Entities and U.S. Privacy Laws
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) became effective on May 25, 2018. GDPR regulates personal information, particularly personal information gathered from individuals in the European Union (“E.U.”) or stored in the E.U. GDPR is a vaguely-written, 99 article document. Lacking interpretive jurisprudential guidance, entities had to implement GDPR compliance procedures without fully understanding…
Facebook and Data Privacy
You’ve seen it all over the news in 2018: Facebook. With scandals like data security breaches, fake news, and Senate hearings, Facebook has not escaped bad publicity this year. This blog post will first address the steps Facebook has taken and will have to take to avoid similar scandals in the future. It will then…
California Consumer Privacy Act Highlights Need for Federal Data Privacy Regulations
The increasing scale of the digital economy has led to major concerns over consumers’ online privacy. As the quantity of personal data on the internet has ballooned, governments and regulators have struggled to keep up with the fast-moving technology industry. There have been concerns over both inappropriate data usage and corporate data breaches.1 Responding to…
Carpenter v. United States Raises Important Privacy Concerns
In November 2017, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case Carpenter v. United States. Carpenter was charged and convicted for his role in a string of armed robberies occurring mostly in the Detroit area. Investigators identified Carpenter as a suspect and were able to place him near the scene of multiple robberies by…
Surveying Untouched Legal Landscape: Does Audio Beacon Technology Violate Privacy Laws?
This blog is the second of a two-part series. In the first installment, I explained how retailers use beacon technology, and more recently, audio beacon technology, to expand communications with consumers while tailoring such communications to consumers’ surroundings.1 Despite the successes retailers have experienced as a result of the implementation of the technology, consumers have…
The Verizon-Yahoo Merger
The Deal In July 2016, Verizon announced plans to acquire Yahoo for $4.8 billion.1 The announcement followed a period of decline for Yahoo, and an unsuccessful attempt to shift the company’s operation towards the mobile market. The company made numerous acquisitions, including social media site Tumblr, in an effort to broaden its audience.2 However, despite…
Audio Beacon Technology: Is the Potential for Increased Sales Worth the Risk?
This blog is the first of a two-part series. In this first installment, I will briefly explain how beacon technology works, discussing the benefits that such technology provides retailers, as well as the legal and perceptive risks that accompany the technology. In the second installment, I will discuss the somewhat untouched-legal landscape in which audio…
$1.35 million “Supercookie” Slap to Verizon Wireless
Someone is watching your every move on the web and you do not even know it. If you think you are safe simply by deleting browser cookies and history, think again; there are many other sneaky ways your movements continue to be tracked. Generally, cookies are installed to enhance and personalize consumers’ Internet experience. A…
FTC Charges Vulcun for Replacing a Game with Its Own App
On February 5, 2016, app-making company General Holdings Inc., also doing business as Vulcun, agreed with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) to stop installing its apps on consumers’ mobile devices without their permission and plaguing them with advertisements on their desktop computers.1 The scandal started with Vulcun’s sneaky replacement of a popular browser-based game called…