PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

Security Experts Critique Government Backdoor Access to Encrypted Data

by Daniel J. Solove In a recent report (link no longer available), MIT security experts critiqued calls by government law enforcement for backdoor access to encrypted information.  As the experts aptly stated: “Political and law enforcement leaders in the United States and the United Kingdom have called for Internet systems to be redesigned to ensure […]

Mr. Robot: My Review of the New TV Series

by Daniel J. Solove I’ve really been enjoying the new TV series Mr. Robot on USA. Network.  It presents highly-engaging depictions of hacking and social engineering, and it is great entertainment for privacy and security  geeks. The protagonist is Elliot Alderson (played by Rami Malek), a tech who works at a cybersecurity firm in New York City.  […]

Going Bankrupt with Your Personal Data

By Daniel J. Solove   A recent New York Times article discusses the issue of what happens to your personal data when companies go bankrupt or are sold to other companies: When sites and apps get acquired or go bankrupt, the consumer data they have amassed may be among the companies’ most valuable assets. And […]

Security Professionals in High Demand

by Daniel J. Solove According to a study, the number of cybersecurity job listings increased 74% from 2007 to 2013.  This was more than double the growth rate of IT jobs. In a survey earlier this year of ISACA members, 86% stated that there is a “global shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals.” According to a […]

What Is Privacy?

By Daniel J. Solove What is privacy? This is a central question to answer, because a conception of privacy underpins every attempt to address it and protect it.  Every court that holds that something is or isn’t privacy is basing its decision on a conception of privacy — often unstated.  Privacy laws are also based […]

Baseball’s “Hacking” Case: Are You a Hacker Too?

By Daniel J. Solove   I’m a St. Louis Cardinals fan, so I guess it is fitting that my favorite team becomes embroiled in a big privacy and data security incident.  At the outset, apologies for the feature photo above.  It pulled up under a search for “baseball hacker,” and as a collector of ridiculous […]

Cybersecurity: Leviathan vs. Low-Hanging Fruit

by Daniel J. Solove There are certainly many hackers with sophisticated technical skills and potent malicious technologies.  These threats can seem akin to Leviathan — all powerful and insurmountable. It can be easy to get caught up focusing on the Leviathan and miss the low-hanging fruit of cybersecurity.  This low-hanging fruit consists of rather simple […]

The Importance and Goals of HIPAA Training Programs

by Daniel J. Solove There is a great quote in this article from HealthcareInfoSecurity: that expresses very well the importance and goals of HIPAA training programs: Workforce training is important not only for preventing breaches, including those involving ID crimes, but also to help detect those incidents, [Ann Patterson of the Medical Identity Fraud Alliance] says. […]