Can I ask you a personal question? What is your computer's IP address?

In a September 8, 2010 opinion, Switzerland’s highest court announced that Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are personal information protected by the country’s data protection laws. The Swiss Federal Supreme Court’s ruling in In re Logistep AG, BGer, No. 1C-285/2009, 1C_295/2009, 9/8/10, adds to the longstanding debate over whether such information is personal information despite the fact that a single IP address can be attributed to more than one computer user. While the debate is far from over, the Logistep decision makes clear that businesses collecting information about individuals’ Internet activities, particularly those with operations in Europe, must treat IP addresses with care, as they may be protected by privacy laws in some jurisdictions.

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Recent Lawsuits Challenge Use of Flash Cookies to Track Online Behavior

Four recent lawsuits filed against some of the Web's biggest media companies challenge the alleged use of Flash cookies capable of circumventing a user's ability to prevent the tracking of online behavior.

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