A number of recent developments indicate that the 110th Congress, to be seated in January, may seek to federalize data privacy laws and preempt state legislation in that area. Several data security bills were introduced in the 109th Congress; however, to date, none have passed. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the incoming chair of the … Continue Reading
“Pretexting” is the acquisition of customer records from telecommunications carriers by fraudulent means, most commonly by pretending to be the phone customer whose information is sought. The Hewlett-Packard (“HP”) scandal, which erupted this fall and grabbed national headlines, made pretexting famous, but the practice has been a problem for years. The issue actually came to … Continue Reading
California High Court Hears Argument Regarding Invasion of Privacy Claims On Tuesday, December 5, the California Supreme Court heard argument in the case of Taus v. Loftus, S133805. Loftus is a psychologist and UC Irvine professor who allegedly misidentified herself for the purpose of obtaining information to dispute conclusions of a case study regarding repressed … Continue Reading
