Continuing Debate on Privacy and Use of Newborns’ Blood Samples
There has been considerable debate about the ethical, privacy, and civil liberty issues surrounding the unauthorized or unknowing retention and use of babies’ blood samples for purposes other than...
View ArticleLibraries Fight to Protect Users’ Rights to Privacy
A recent case in New Hampshire illustrates how libraries continue to be battlegrounds for privacy rights. The Kilton Public Library in Lebanon, N.H., a town of about 13,000 people, decided to join Tor,...
View ArticleLegislators, Federal Officials Seek Limits on Use of Stingray Surveillance...
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) recently introduced a bill, H.R. 3871, The Stingray Privacy Act (pdf), to limit the use of cellphone surveillance technology known as cell-site simulators or “Stingray”...
View ArticleAs Our Devices Increasingly Talk to Others, Privacy Questions Arise
As technology continues to evolve and become integrated into our lives, there are significant questions about privacy and security. We’ve discussed before the “Internet of Things,” which is a...
View ArticleWho sees your health-app data? It’s hard to know.
Lots of people use personal health devices, such as Fitbits, or mobile health or wellness apps (there are a variety offered through Apple’s and Google’s app stores). There are important privacy and...
View ArticleFederal Case and State Law Are Latest Moves to Curb Warrantless Use of...
The Stingray surveillance technology, also called cell-site simulator technology, can gather a significant amount of personal data from individuals’ cellphones. A recent federal case in New York and a...
View ArticleNew Year? Time for a New Assessment of Your Privacy Setup.
People use a lot of services and devices to transmit and retain sensitive personal information. A person could use daily: a work computer, a personal computer, multiple email addresses, a work...
View ArticleLicense-plate-reader Technology Is Proliferating, And Questions Remain
A couple of years ago, we discussed the increasing use license-plate-recognition camera technology and the possible privacy, civil liberty and security implications about the surveillance tech used to...
View ArticleAfter Death, Who Can Access Your Fingerprints for Security Issues?
Two Florida detectives tried to use a dead man’s fingerprints to unlock his phone, the Tampa Bay Times reported, and that act raised privacy questions. Linus F. Phillip “was shot and killed [by a...
View ArticleThe Speed of Tech Advances Can Be a Hindrance to, But Also Can Help, Privacy...
There has been an ongoing discussion about how privacy rights can be eroded because laws do not anticipate changing technology. The most prominent example is the Electronic Communications Privacy Act,...
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