Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has filed suit (pdf) against the US government, challenging Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The suit claims that the law, which defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, unfairly excludes more than 16,000 Massachusetts married same-sex couples and their families from…
Bern to block UBS record transfer to US
The Swiss government on Wednesday waded into the legal battle between UBS and the US authorities by saying it would forbid the bank from handing over confidential client information, if a crucial court case next week required it. Bern warned it might go as far as confiscating the data, should a US court in Miami…
Google’s new OS raises privacy concerns
Google’s announcement Tuesday that it is developing an open-source operating system raised questions among privacy advocates about the amount of personal data Google will be able to collect. Google already collects private data through products like its search engine and its Gmail e-mail service, as well as its AdSense advertising service. The Chrome operating system,…
Son of Dead Sea Scrolls scholar pleads not guilty
Lawyer Raphael Golb, son of Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Norman Golb, pleaded not guilty to charges that he stole his father’s professional rivals’ identities and used them to discredit them. Some of the alleged victims include Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, Stephen Goranson, and Jonathan Seidel. In a press release issued in March, Manhattan District Attorney Robert…