PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

high-tech technology background with eyes on computer display

Data Security: When Will the Thick Skulls Learn?

Stolen USB Drive

The Wall Street Journal reports the theft of 3.3 million student loan records, including Social Security numbers:

Company and federal officials said they believed last week’s theft of identity data on 3.3 million people with student loans was the largest-ever breach of such information and could affect as many as 5% of all federal student-loan borrowers.

Names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other personal data on borrowers were stolen from the St. Paul, Minn., headquarters of Educational Credit Management Corp., a nonprofit guarantor of federal student loans, during the weekend of March 20-21, according to the company.

ECMC said the stolen information was on a portable media device. “It was simple, old-fashioned theft,” said ECMC spokesman Paul Kelash. “It was not a hacker incident.”

 

Continue Reading

The SeaWorld Killer Whale Death Video and the Right to Privacy

Orca Sea World

What Is Empathy? Obama’s Philosophy of Law and the Next Supreme Court Justice

Supreme Court

There has been a lot of discussion on what President Obama meant when he said he wanted to choose a person who would judge with “empathy” for the U.S. Supreme Court.   When articulating his decision to vote against Chief Justice John Roberts, Obama noted that 95 percent of cases would be relatively straightforward where most justices would agree, but “what matters on the Supreme Court is those 5 percent of cases that are truly difficult.”  Obama further explained:

Continue Reading

Family Privacy Rights in Death-Scene Images of the Deceased

Death Scene Photos and Privacy

In Newsweek, Jessica Bennett tells the tragic story about a family being harassed by the spread of death-scene images of their daughter, who was killed in an automobile accident. The photos of Nikki Catsouras were particularly gruesome — Nikki was decapitated in the crash. According to the article, soon after the crash, photos taken by the California Highway Patrol started circulating on the Internet:

Continue Reading

CCR Symposium: Anonymity and Traceability

Anonymous

In an interesting and thoughtful critique of Danielle Citron’s Cyber Civil Rights, Michael Froomkin argues that Danielle’s proposal to require ISPs to maintain records of IP addresses will spell “the complete elimination of anonymity on the US portion of the Internet in order to root out hateful speech.” Anonymous speech should be strongly protected, as it is key to allowing people to express themselves candidly and openly, without fear of reprisal. It is especially important to promote dissenting views that are outside the mainstream of conventional thought. But the key issue with anonymity online is: How much do we want to protect it? Anonymous speech can lead to harmful defamation, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, as well as criminal conduct, such as the spread of child porn. Is there a way to protect anonymity yet not let it get too out of hand?

Continue Reading