Balough
January 30, 2024
(January 30, 2024) Unlike the “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” George Carlin never said nor preformed the comedy special “I’m Glad I’m Dead.” Those four words came from an artificial intelligence (“AI”) generated podcast on You Tube beginning in mid-January 2024. The hour-long fake George Carlin comedy special was created by […]
Balough
July 10, 2023
(July 10, 2023) Don’t replace the signature line on written contracts with a thumbs-up emoji 👍just yet. A Canadian court found a farmer entered into a valid contract to deliver flax at a fixed price by texting back a thumbs-up emoji 👍 to the buyer’s text that contained a photo of a written agreement. The […]
Balough
May 31, 2023
(May 31, 2023) A quick word of advice to attorneys who want to use Chat GPT to research and write their court filings—don’t unless you check every citation. A New York U.S. District Court Judge ordered the attorney filing the pleading, the attorney conducting the research, and their firm to show cause as to why […]
Balough
February 21, 2023
(February 21, 2023) Entities that collect, store, or share biometric information without obtaining the person’s written permission in Illinois may be liable for damages for each scan or transmission of the individual’s information under a ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court. Under the Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”), no private entity may collect, capture, receive, […]
Balough
February 7, 2023
(February 7, 2023) Persons who believe their biometric information was wrongly collected or retained have five years to assert a claim under the Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”), the Illinois Supreme Court found. The court found that, while unlawfully collecting or retaining biometric information may violate a person’s privacy, which normally would have a one-year […]
Balough
November 23, 2022
(November 23, 2022) Have you found junk voicemails in your cellphone mailbox but don’t recall that the phone rang and wondered how that is allowed? The answer: it is not allowed, according to a ruling issued by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”). The FCC rejected a robocaller’s petition asking the Commission to find that delivery […]
Balough
November 8, 2022
(November 8, 2022) Lawyers who copy their clients on emails or texts to opposing counsel have impliedly consented to the opposing lawyer communicating with their client by responding with “reply all.” The Model Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit opposing counsel from communicating directly with the other party’s client without the consent of that party’s attorney. […]
Balough
November 6, 2022
(November 6, 2022) The White House released “A Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, Making Automated Systems Work for the American People,” intended to support the development of policies and practices concerning artificial intelligence systems. The Blueprint identifies five principles to “guide the design, use, and development of automated systems to protect the American […]
Balough
June 21, 2022
(June 21, 2022) Chicago has enhanced its sexual harassment prevention laws to include sexual misconduct, doubled the time that employees must attend an annual training, revised requirements for employer written policies, and increased penalties for violations by 10 times. The City of Chicago Human Rights Ordinance prohibits sexual harassment in employment. A victim can be […]
Balough
June 8, 2022
(June 8, 2022) What do Robert De Niro, Kate Winslet, Finding Dory, Breaking Bad, Billie Eilish, and Lovely Bones all have in common? Wait! Before doing an online search for the answer, read on to keep you out of the danger zone. All the terms are number one in their categories to contain potential malware, […]
