Privacy Articles - Software Expert Witnesses & Litigation Consultants

August 14, 2019 • by Quandary Peak Research

Data’s Role in Big Tech’s Antitrust Fight

The era of minimal oversight for the biggest technology companies appears to be ending. The Justice Department and FTC will split oversight of Google and Amazon, and the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to a long-simmering antitrust suit against Apple. Taken together, it is becoming clear that lawmakers are poised to take…

Lawsuits Alleges U.S. Cellphone Carriers Sold Customer Location Data

New class-action lawsuits have been filed against major US cellphone carriers AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint in US District Court in Maryland. Each suit alleges violation of Section 222 of the US Communications Act in mostly identical terms via (in the words of the AT&T suit) the real-time “collection of geolocation data…

May 1, 2019 • by Quandary Peak Research

Researchers Questioning Amazon’s Facial Recognition Technology

Artificial Intelligence technology is transforming previously unfathomable ideas into concrete realities on a daily basis. One flagship application is facial recognition technology, which has been embraced by law enforcement for identifying suspects – a development that has its detractors but remains touted for its crime prevention potential. For all its potential, however,…

ACLU vs. Government: Should There Be Rules Governing Hacking?

The rise of mobile technology means we are rarely disconnected from a vast ecosystem of services and content. With more people online sharing more than ever, personal data has become currency, and entire business models are predicated on harvesting and deriving insight from that information. But technology companies have lost the benefit…

Legal Troubles Don’t Mean Diminished Ambitions for Big Tech

Big Tech took some unprecedented hits in 2018. For the first time in memory, previously unassailable companies found themselves squarely in government and public crosshairs alike, answering for a series of (often data-centric) misdeeds. But even as questions loom and skepticism increases, these issues – and the ensuing public backlash – remain…

Amazon, Apple, Bloomberg, and…Chinese Spies?

The story feels like something out of a novel or a movie. In October, Bloomberg Businessweek published a lengthypiecedetailing how Chinese spies had, during the manufacturing process, installed chips in servers purchased by major tech companies—creating “a stealth doorway” into their respective networks. The report alleged that two of the companies were…

The U.S. Justice Department vs. California on Net Neutrality

As expected, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the state’s comprehensive net neutrality bill into law on September 30. His signature opened the door for the expected flurry of lawsuits from opponents, including one filed the same day in the District Court for the Eastern District of California by one of the state’s…

U.S. Cities Turn to ‘Cyber Insurance’ in Response to Hackers

While social media, ecommerce, healthcare, and more have all benefited from (or were made possible by) technology, the transfer of our lives to the internet has come at a cost. With more of our sensitive information online than ever – data that is tremendously valuable for both companies and individuals – there…

Facebook Under Fire from British Lawmakers

Policymakers worldwide show no signs of letting up their increased scrutiny of Facebook. A British parliamentary committee investigating Russian election influencing campaigns has recommended sweeping regulations on tech companies, while accusing the social media giant of being disingenuous or outright obstructing lines of questioning. “Facebook should not be in a position of…

California’s Sweeping New Privacy Laws

California state legislators passed a sweeping digital privacy law at the end of June, giving consumers increased control over their online data. The legislation also gives internet users in the state greater insight into how their information is collected and spread by technology companies. The bill, which evolved from draft into law…