From the is-anyone-really-shocked-by-this dept. Paul Elias reports: Investigators are broadening their DNA searches beyond government databases and demanding genetic information from companies that do ancestry research for customers. Two major companies that research family lineage for fees around $200 say that over the last two years, they have received law enforcement demands for genetic information…
Category: Govt
Appeals Court Sends Smith v. Obama NSA Lawsuit Back to the Trial Court
David Greene writes: The fallout from the passage of the USA FREEDOM Act continues. One of EFF’s three cases against the NSA, Smith v. Obama, has been sent back to the trial court by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The lawsuit was brought by an Idaho neonatal nurse, Anna Smith, who was outraged to discover that the…
FTC Testifies on Efforts to Protect Privacy and Security of Consumer Health Information
In testimony before Congress today, the Federal Trade Commission outlined its work to protect consumers in the growing area of health information technology. Testifying on behalf of the Commission, Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, highlighted the FTC’s efforts to protect the privacy and data security of consumer health information, particularly in…
The Empty “Lavabit” Threat
Scott Greenfield writes: Near as I can tell, the first person to pick up on footnote 9 in the government’s response to Apple was Marcy Wheeler at Empty Wheel. DOJ has submitted its response to Apple in the Syed Farook case. Amid invocations of a bunch of ominous precedents — including Dick Cheney’s successful effort to hide his energy task…