PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

high-tech technology background with eyes on computer display

The Scope and Potential of FTC Data Protection

FTC Privacy and Security

I am pleased to announce the publication of my article, The Scope and Potential of FTC Data Protection., 83 George Washington Law Review 2230 (2015).  I wrote the article with Professor Woodrow Hartzog. The article addresses  the scope of FTC authority in the areas of privacy and data security (which together we refer to as […]

Does Cybersecurity Law Work Well? An Interview with Ed McNicholas

Cyber Security

“The US is developing a law of cybersecurity that is incoherent and unduly complex,” says Ed McNicholas, one of the foremost experts on cybersecurity law.  McNicholas is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP and co-editor of the newly-published treatise, Cybersecurity: A Practical Guide to the Law of Cyber Risk (with co-editor Vivek K. Mohan).   The […]

Social Dimensions of Privacy

I recently received my copy of Social Dimensions of Privacy, edited by Beate Roessler & Dorota Mokrosinska.  The book was published by Cambridge University Press this summer. I’m delighted as I look over this book.  The book has a wonderful selection of short philosophical essays on privacy, and I’m honored to be included among the […]

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 […]

5 Great Novels About Privacy and Security

I am a lover of literature (I teach a class in law and literature), and I also love privacy and security, so I thought I’d list some of my favorite novels about privacy and security. I’m also trying to compile a more comprehensive list of literary works about privacy and security, and I welcome your […]

Does Scholarship Really Have an Impact? The Article that Revolutionized Privacy Law

  By Daniel J. Solove Does scholarship really have an impact? For a long time, naysayers have attacked scholarship, especially scholarship about law. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts once remarked: “Pick up a copy of any law review that you see, and the first article is likely to be, you know, the influence of […]

Notable Privacy and Security Books 2014

Notable Privacy Security Books 2014 - TeachPrivacy 01

There were quite a number of books published about privacy and security issues last year, and I would like to highlight a few notable ones. A few books came out in late 2014 and have an early 2015 publication date. I’m including them here. The books are in no particular order.

Should the FTC Be Regulating Privacy and Data Security?

by Daniel J. Solove This post was co-authored with Professor Woodrow Hartzog. This past Tuesday the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint against AT&T for allegedly throttling the Internet of its customers even though they paid for unlimited data plans. This complaint was surprising for many, who thought the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was […]

Jennifer Lawrence’s Photos and Civil Rights Law: An Interview with Danielle Citron

Online Harm

Fairly recently, Jennifer Lawrence’s iCloud account was hacked and her private photos were stolen and posted online. She was mortified. Her case is just one of many, according to Professor Danielle Citron (University of Maryland School of Law), who very recently published a book about online harassment, Hate Crimes in Cyberspace (Harvard University Press 2014). […]

Why Do Lawsuits for Data Breaches Continue Even Though the Law Is Against Plaintiffs?

by Daniel J. Solove If there’s a big data breach, the class action lawyers will start nipping like a bunch of hungry crocodiles. Upwards of forty separate lawsuits were filed against Target after its data breach, and one was filed the day after the breach became public knowledge. The law, however, has thus far been […]