Libbie Canter, Lindsey Tonsager, Jayne Ponder, Tian Kisch, Jessica Ke, Sierra Stubbs, and Bryan Ramirez of Covington and Burling write: On April 15, 2025, the Montana legislature unanimously passed Montana SB 297, a bill that would amend the Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act (“MTCDPA”) with provisions expanding online data protections for minors, narrowing the exemptions under…
DOGE is building a ‘master database’ of sensitive information, top Oversight Democrat says
Natalie Alms reports: The Department of Government Efficiency is building a single, cross-agency database of sensitive information from the IRS, Social Security Administration, Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies, according to new, whistleblower-informed oversight on Capitol Hill. The effort is “unprecedented,” said a Thursday letter the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability…
Implied Consent to Privacy Policy in Webpage Footer Forecloses Website Wiretapping Claim
Wentao Yang, Matthew Verdin & Kathryn Cahoy of Covington and Burling write: Does a plaintiff’s use of a website constitute consent to a privacy policy linked in the website’s footer? A Pennsylvania federal court answered yes in Popa v. Harriet Carter Gifts, Inc., 2025 WL 896938 (W.D. Pa. Mar. 24, 2025), granting summary judgment in favor…
DOGE is building a master database to surveil and track immigrants
Makena Kelly Vittoria Elliott Operatives from Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are building a master database at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that could track and surveil undocumented immigrants, two sources with direct knowledge tell WIRED. DOGE is knitting together immigration databases from across DHS and uploading data from outside agencies including the Social Security…