On July 11, 2014, the privacy watchdog, Electronic Privacy Information Center (“EPIC”) filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) against Facebook. EPIC alleged that Facebook broke the law by secretly monitoring users’ emotions in response to news feeds. The complaint explains that Facebook deceived users through its…
The smartphone has brought a world of possibility to the average consumer’s fingertips. Now, this has come to include mobile banking. With fast-paced lifestyles and long lines at the banks, mobile banking has emerged as a thrilling convenience. However, this convenience brings cybersecurity concerns. Therefore, consumers who have turned to…
In the aftermath of high profile cybersecurity breaches, businesses and consumers are alert to the real dangers of cyber vulnerability. In response, various government agencies have taken up efforts to protect against future breaches. Thus, consumers and businesses must continue to take steps to protect themselves and their private information.…
The expansion of cyber consumerism—buying and selling products over the Internet, or engaging in business over the Internet—has called into the question whether international laws are equipped to protect consumers in their online transactions. Indeed, online business often takes place over several countries, implicating the legal standards in those countries.…
Early in 2012, the European Commission proposed a reformation of the European Union’s data protection rules. The European Commission sought to strengthen online privacy rights and improve Europe’s digital economy. The European Commission pointed to expansive globalization and different levels of implementation by the EU’s 27 member states as reasons…
Employees, in the course of their employment, will often have broad access to company files. If employees are terminated or seek other employment, such access can become problematic. Indeed, companies store sensitive and commercially valuable information on their servers. Employee misuse of these files can substantially weaken a company’s economic…
With the advent of virtual currency, consumers can now conduct entire transactions online without the burden of having to seek a common currency. Bitcoin has spread across the world as a popular form of this currency. In turn, transactions can now take place without switching from one form of currency…
In recent years, there has been an increase in cyber-attacks directed towards usernames and passwords for online banking accounts. Through these attacks, outside parties have been able to misuse banking information for fraudulent wire transfers. Hackers have starting using foreign accounts because it is more difficult to recover funds when…
The expansion of social media networks has helped connect people and ideas all over the world. However, it has also raised substantial privacy concerns as more people store personal information on the web. Congress has enacted legislation in an effort to circumvent the dangers associated with online networks–for example, the…
In recent years, electronic spam has become a public nuisance. In response, several states, including, but not limited to, California, have enacted statutes to prevent electronic spam. As with most legislation that deals with the constantly-changing nature of the web, these statutes struggle to define the extent of their application…