Tag Archives: privacy

It’s pretty clear that using your employer’s email system for personal business is not a good idea and can get your fired; it could also send you to jail, if your emails reveal a crime. Employees have very little to no expectation of privacy in emails received through employer accounts. An employee at Aeropostale, the clothing company, found out that not only can his employer use a personal email to fire him, but the government can also use it against …

After all of the trouble Google has encountered in its attempts to monetize its users’ information, you would think the company had learned its lesson. Think again – consumer groups are angry that Google has reportedly been improperly sharing app purchasers’ info with third-party developers.   ‘Play’ For Keeps Third-party developers of applications made to run on Android phones and tablets sell their products through Google’s app store, Google Play. Google stores users’ purchasing information through its Wallet program, allowing …

A recent report confirms that law enforcement employees have been improperly accessing Minnesota’s state driver’s license database, and state lawmakers are reportedly scrambling to put a bill together to address the privacy violations.    Minnesota Moves to Protect Privacy The report, “Law Enforcement’s Use of State Databases,” was released by the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor on Feb. 20; it examined both the state’s driver’s license database and its Incident-Based Reporting System. “We found that inadequate controls and insufficient …

The United States Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on whether DNA samples can be collected from crime suspects without a warrant. In Maryland v. King, the court is expected to decide whether the policy of 28 states and the federal government to swab DNA from arrestees is a violation of privacy rights, in what Justice Samuel Alito called “the most important criminal procedure case this Court has had in decades.” At issue is whether taking DNA constitutes an invasive search …

Police everywhere must be thankful that crooks and thugs just can’t bear to leave their phones at home. In a recent case, a domestic abuse and kidnapping suspect with a bodacious hairstyle was captured thanks to phone tracking technology and Google Earth. Edward Johnson, 36, was tracked to a Philadelphia suburb based on location data from two calls he made on his cell phone. Law enforcement officials then pinpointed the specific block he was on using Google Earth. Johnson was …