With competitors like Google and Microsoft admitting to scanning and accessing user information, Apple is attempting to set itself apart by making some noise with its new privacy policy dealing with the iOS 8 operating system. CEO Tim Cook discussed the new policy in an open letter to customers this week. Essentially, all your data—photos, …
A September 14, 2014 Huffington Post article lists “4 Reasons Credit Cards Are Better Than Cash.” Ironically, the article was published less than a week after Home Depot confirmed 56 million of its customers’ credit card information had been compromised in the largest data breach of retail credit card information in history. But such events …
Increasingly pervasive surveillance technology is rapidly changing society, and it is having an impact on our criminal justice system as well. In some ways, increased surveillance is helpful in achieving a just outcome because video evidence provides a better account of events than eye witness testimony. However, as illustrated by the recent Ray Rice controversy, …
Airbnb revolutionized travel lodging by allowing anyone to rent out unused rooms, apartments, or houses to others looking to stay in popular locations for a low cost. Perhaps the best part of Airbnb, and part of what made it novel and successful, is its simple website. In doing so, the company essentially created a forum …
Personal motor vehicles are used every day by millions of Americans and are so integrated into daily living that many people take for granted the dangers inherent in driving. Safety features have continuously advanced over the past century, and the movement towards using vehicle-to-vehicle (“V2V”) communication offers safety benefits that could not have been imagined …
Talk of Net Neutrality is spanning the Internet right now, due in large part to the FCC accepting comments for its pending decision on how to govern the Internet. Net Neutrality is the outlandish idea that Internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all data that travels over their networks equally, instead of creating Internet “fast …
Ethyl glucuronide (“EtG”) is a metabolite of ethanol, the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. An EtG test is a urine test that is used to detect recent consumption of alcoholic beverages once the ethanol itself is no longer present in the body. EtG remains in the body for approximately eighty hours after consumption …
Even before Apple’s September 9, 2014, event, which introduced the world to the iPhone 6 and the new “smartwatch,” there were signs that Apple would be making a play to replace your cash and credit cards. Apple’s patent dubbed “Method To Send Payment Through Various Air Interfaces Without Compromising User Data” was filed in September …
On Monday, the FBI announced the full operational capacity of new facial recognition software, the Next Generation Identification System (NGI). The FBI press release indicates the system was developed “to expand the Bureau’s biometric identification capabilities, ultimately replacing the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) in addition to adding new services and capabilities.” The …
SB 1177 or SOPIPA is a bill that was introduced by Senator Steinberg (D-Sacramento) on February 20, 2014 to the 2013-2014 session of the California Legislature that prohibits website operators from selling K-12 student data profiles, or using this information to generate advertisements targeting these minors. The impetus for the bill as described by …