FTC Issues Substantially Revised COPPA Rule, Effective July 1, 2013: Review of Changes and Compliance Tips
- On December 19, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) announced long-awaited amendments to its rule implementing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“Rule”). The changes—which take effect on July 1, 2013—are significant. They alter the scope and obligations of the Rule in a number... ›
FTC Snuffs Out Online “History Sniffing”
By: Julie O'Neill
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cracked down on a company that was engaged in “history sniffing,” a means of online tracking that digs up information embedded in web browsers to reveal the websites that users have visited. In a proposed settlement with Epic... ›California A.G. Makes Good on Promise to Pursue Apps That Don’t Comply With the State’s Privacy Policy Law
By: Julie O'Neill
On October 30, 2012, California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced that her office would begin notifying the developers of as many as 100 mobile apps that their apps do not comply with the state’s Online Privacy Protection Act (OPPA) and that they have 30... ›New California Law Limits Employer Access to Employee Social Media Accounts
On September 27, 2012, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that restricts employer access to the “personal social media” of employees and applicants for employment. Assembly Bill 1844 (“AB 1844”) adds to the California Labor Code new section 980. Under this section, an... ›FTC Issues Guidance for Mobile App Privacy and Advertising; Signals More Enforcement Coming
On September 5, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a brief guide to assist developers of mobile applications, both large and small, in complying with truth-in-advertising, privacy, and data security principles. In publishing this advice, the FTC makes clear that its Section 5... ›Update: What’s Not to Like?
As we reported earlier this year, the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia held in Bland v. Roberts that merely “liking” a Facebook page is insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection. In the case, former employees of the Hampton Sheriff’s Office... ›More Change Coming: The FTC Proposes Further Significant Changes to Its COPPA Rule
By: Julie O'Neill
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (“COPPA”), which became effective in April 2000, has long served as the primary regulatory tool of the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) to police online privacy issues concerning children under 13. The COPPA Rule (the “Rule”),... ›We’ve Come for Your Tweets: Twitter to Appeal Denial of Its Motion to Quash District Attorney’s Subpoena
By: J. Alexander Lawrence
As the Occupy Wall Street protests fade from memory, a related discovery battle between Twitter and the New York County District Attorney rages on. Earlier this year, we discussed the District Attorney’s efforts to subpoena user information and tweets of criminal defendant Malcolm Harris,... ›- - Privacy
California Attorney General Creates Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit; Increased Enforcement Likely
On July 19th, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced the formation of a new Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit within the state’s Department of Justice. The move is widely seen as a means of stepping up the state’s enforcement activities involving privacy issues.... › Interview with Debbie Rosenbaum regarding Bland v. Roberts
As a result of her recent Socially Aware blog post What’s Not to Like , our contributor Debbie Rosenbaum has been interviewed by LXBN TV regarding Bland v. Roberts , the recent (and controversial) federal court decision holding that “liking” a Facebook page does... ›