Ryan Gallagher reports: Skype is being investigated by Luxembourg’s data protection commissioner over concerns about its secret involvement with the US National Security Agency (NSA) spy programme Prism, the Guardian has learned. The Microsoft-owned internet chat company could potentially face criminal and administrative sanctions, including a ban on passing users’ communications covertly to the US signals intelliigence agency. Read more…
Category: Business
Microsoft Consumer Denied Class Cert. In Privacy Suit
Law360.com reports: A California federal judge denied class certification Wednesday in a suit accusing Microsoft Corp. of illegally collecting consumers’ personal information during credit card transactions, deciding that customers at Microsoft stores weren’t asked to give the information as a condition for their purchases. Read more on Law360.com (subscription required). The case is Pamela Gossoo…
Verizon Case Warns Employers Against Vague Device Policies
Law360.com reports: An Ohio federal court recently found that a former Verizon Wireless employee could pursue Stored Communications Act claims alleging her supervisor read her personal emails on a company-issued BlackBerry without consent, serving as a warning that employers risk liability under the criminal statute without clear policies on personal use of company devices and…
Google Sets Plan to Sell Users’ Endorsements
Claire Cain Miller and Vindu Goel report: Google, following in Facebook’s footsteps, wants to sell users’ endorsements to marketers to help them hawk their wares. On Friday, Google announced an update to its terms of service that allows the company to include adult users’ names, photos and comments in ads shown across the Web, based…