PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

6 Reasons to Visit the TeachPrivacy Booth at the IAPP Summit 2016

Please stop by the TeachPrivacy booth at the expo at the IAPP Summit.   1. Play our new game.  See if you can spot all the privacy and data security risks in this scene.  Pick up a copy of the scene, see our poster, and try out our interactive module.

The Solution to All Privacy and Data Security Problems Worldwide

After years of careful study and extensive analysis, I have arrived at a solution to all the privacy and data security problems worldwide. Although I’ve been advised that I shouldn’t give away such a perfect solution to such a vexing problem for free, my drive to altruism is simply too strong. Without further ado . […]

The Triumph of the Privacy Profession: An Interview with Bamberger and Mulligan

The past 20 years have seen the remarkable emergence of the privacy profession. Starting from nothing, this profession originally included a handful of people called Chief Privacy Officers (CPOs). Nobody grew up saying they wanted to be a CPO. Nobody knew what CPOs did.

The Hulk Hogan Gawker Sex Video Case, Free Speech, and the Verdict’s Impact

In a high-profile privacy lawsuit, former pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan won a $115 million jury verdict against Gawker for posting his sex video without his consent. Hulk Hogan, whose real name is TerryBollea, brought a lawsuit for invasion of privacy and other torts.  Under one of the main privacy torts — public disclosure of private facts […]

Ransomware on a Rampage

Ransomware is on a rampage!  Attacks are happening with ever-increasing frequency, and ransomware is evolving and becoming more powerful. Several major media sites, such as the New York Times, BBC, AOL, and the NFL, were recently infected with malware that directed visitors to sites attempting to install ransomware on their computers. Ransomware has the potential […]

Surveillance and Our Addiction to Exposure

Bernard Harcourt’s Exposed: Desire and Disobedience in the Digital Age (Harvard University Press 2015) is an indictment of  our contemporary age of surveillance and exposure — what Harcourt calls “the expository society.” Harcourt passionately deconstructs modern technology-infused society and explains its dark implications with an almost poetic eloquence. Harcourt begins by critiquing the metaphor of […]

The Funniest Hacker Stock Photos 2.0

Back by popular demand, it’s time for another round of the funniest hacker stock photos.  Because I create information security awareness training (and HIPAA security training too), I  frequently find myself in need of a good hacker photo. But good hacker photos are hard to find.  I often browse through countless images, each one more […]

Can the FBI Force Apple to Write Software to Weaken Its Software?

A dramatic legal battle is taking place that will have dramatic implications for the future of technology, privacy, security, and the extent of government power.  The FBI obtained an order from a magistrate judge to force Apple to develop software to help the FBI break into an encrypted iPhone.

The 5 Things Every Privacy Lawyer Needs to Know about the FTC: An Interview with Chris Hoofnagle

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has become the leading federal agency to regulate privacy and data security. The scope of its power is vast – it covers the majority of commercial activity – and it has been enforcing these issues for decades. An FTC civil investigative demand (CID) will send shivers down the spine of […]