Karen Kaplan of The Los Angeles Times reports: In a typical presidential election year, voters might wonder how the candidates’ views stack up on issues such as abortion, tax cuts, gun rights and immigration policy. But this year, as a 78-year-old Republican Party nominee campaigned to replace an 81-year-old Democratic incumbent, a different question rose…
Social media platforms that mine user data aren’t shielded by federal communications law, California court says
Edvard Pettersson reports: Meta and Snap, insofar as they are in the business of mining and monetizing users’ data, can’t hide behind the Stored Communications Act to avoid turning over posts and communications to the defendant in a murder case. A San Diego-based appellate court rejected the arguments by the two social media companies on Tuesday and…
KOSA, COPPA 2.0 Likely to Pass U.S. Senate
Lindsey Tonsager, Nicholas Xenakis, and Thea McCullough of Covington and Burling write: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) yesterday, July 23, initiated procedural steps that will likely lead to swift Senate passage of the Kids Online Safety Act (“KOSA”) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA 2.0”). Both bills have been…
FTC Issues Orders to Eight Companies Seeking Information on Surveillance Pricing
From the Federal Trade Commission: The Federal Trade Commission issued orders to eight companies offering surveillance pricing products and services that incorporate data about consumers’ characteristics and behavior. The orders seek information about the potential impact these practices have on privacy, competition, and consumer protection. The ordersare aimed at helping the FTC better understand the opaque…