Balough
October 28, 2014
AT&T Mobility throttled the data for millions of its customers who signed up for “unlimited” data plans even though the customers were told their use would not be limited, the Federal Trade Commission charged in a lawsuit. The complaint alleges that in 2010 AT&T ceased offering unlimited mobile data plans to new customers. Instead, new […]
Balough
December 27, 2013
The NSA’s massive collection of phone data is likely an unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment because it violates an individual’s expectation of privacy, a federal judge found. The ruling granted a request by two plaintiffs to enjoin the government through the National Security Agency from collecting their phone records, including metadata. However, the judge […]
Balough
December 23, 2013
The U.S. government can get historical cell phone records, including geolocational information, from cell phone providers without a warrant, the Fifth District Court of Appeals ruled. The appellate court reversed the trial court, which found that, under the Stored Communications Act (SCA), the government had to seek a warrant and show probable cause before the […]
Balough
December 23, 2013
Fox Broadcasting Company can’t maintain a copyright action against Dish Network’s product that enables Dish customers to skip over commercials because Fox doesn’t own the copyright to the commercials, an appellate court found in affirming a trial court ruling. In addition, the appellate court said, while it is a “much closer” question, the trial court […]
Balough
December 23, 2013
The Illinois Commerce Commission must consider comments made by ratepayers at public forums and on the Commission’s own website before setting new utility rates. Lake Wildwood Association and Apple Canyon Lake Property Owners’ Association filed an appeal after the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC or Commission) struck all references in their joint brief to public comments […]
Balough
December 23, 2013
Mobile devices made by HTC America, Inc. contain serious security flaws, which allow the phones to send their own text messages, send personally identifiable information to third parties, and even activate the microphone to listen to conversations, according to a proposed HTC America consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC’s complaint against HTC America noted that […]
Balough
December 22, 2013
Companies would be required to obtain consent from consumers before mobile device monitoring software starts collecting information under a bill introduced in Congress. Sellers of mobile telephones and providers of mobile service or broadband would need to disclose the following information to consumers prior to activating or collecting information from them under the “Mobile Device […]
Balough
December 22, 2013
Even though about half of all cell phone users download apps, a majority of users have decided not to install a particular app once they discovered how much personal information they would need to share in order to use the app, a new study found. The study revealed that 54 percent of cell phone app […]
Balough
December 22, 2013
There is no reasonable expectation of privacy in data given off by a pay-as-you-go cell phone, the Sixth Circuit found. At issue in the case was geolocational information obtained by Drug Enforcement Administration officers who continuously “pinged” the pay-as-you-go cell phone of a suspect and his son who were driving from Arizona to Texas. Once […]
Balough
December 16, 2013
An article on the privacy implications of smart electric meters by Cheryl Dancey Balough has been published by the Chicago-Kent Law Review. In the article, Ms. Balough discusses privacy issues that come into play when electriic utilities install smart meters for their customers. Those issues include who has access to the information, what information is being distributed, […]
