Privacy Laws in the Spotlight: Midterm Edition 🌟

Hi Folk,

Good luck on midterms. I know they are difficult, and we all have been there, but you got this. Also, happy National Cybersecurity Awareness month! Go out there and be aware of cybersecurity.

Event: Cybersecurity Happy Hour!

Come on down to to Nancy Whiskey Bar to celebrate National Cybersecurity month and take a break from the midterm grind this evening.

The event will start at 6pm.

Event: General Body Meeting

We here at the Privacy Law Association love hearing about what you are interested in and enjoy offering you free pizza. The event will take place on October 10th in room WA10 from 1-2. Please come with questions and interests. We promise no awkward icebreakers.

The event will run from 1:00pm to 2:00pm in room WA10 on Tuesday, October 10.

Save the Date: Privacy CLE

Have you ever imagined what the most exciting day in a privacy lawyers career might look like? Well, good news: wait no further. The Privacy Law Association is working on hosting a CLE simulation wherein participants will be tasked with a privacy situation and asked for their response. Students are allowed and encouraged to participate. A background in privacy is not required.

The event will run from 6:00pm to 7:30pm on Wednesday, November 15. Location to be determined.

Privacy News

California enacted legislation allowing residents to force data brokers to delete their information. This could spell the end for many small businesses, allegedly–but is that even a problem?

“That which can be destroyed by the truth, should be.” is often attributed to Carl Sagan; in actuality, it most likely originates in 1994 novel Seeker’s Mask. It holds true, however, and the PLA would propose a corollary: that which can be destroyed by a basic respect for user rights, should be.

Opponents to the bill argue that it will burden small businesses and “strike at the heart” of the data-broker industry. If those small businesses rely on collecting data from customers without their consent, do they not deserve to be burdened? After all, no one complains about criminal laws burdening small mom-and-pop crime syndicates. California’s new bill only puts a finer point on a basic concept that businesses, small and large alike, have resolutely refused to grasp: users have the right to their data, and they have a right to do other than serve the internet panopticon.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation suggests against using Chrome.

This isn’t the first time the Privacy Law Association has shared concerns about Chrome, and it won’t be the last. Google’s march to exclude competition from the internet, at the cost of user experience and freedom, has just picked up a powerful new weapon; don’t be fooled by the shiny gift wrap.

Connecticut DNA Drive: for Better or for Worse?

What could someone do with access to a huge bank of DNA samples? Of course, this isn’t a novel issue–every state currently collects DNA from felons, and CODIS (the Combined DNA Index System) already contains a host of additional DNA from suspects, victims, and more. Privacy laws haven’t kept pace with the swell of genetic information out there. The more there is, held by smaller organizations like local police forces, the more there is incentive for hackers and other bad actors. On the other hand, maybe you get lucky and find out that you’re related to someone in whom the police have a particular interest. That’s probably going to be a good thing for you, right?

Cannabis might be legal in California, but many of the businesses selling it still aren’t.

One imagines that, after so long skirting the law, cannabis sellers aren’t the most concerned with compliance. But their lack of privacy policies hurts customers, especially where dispensaries operate in quasi-medical capacities.

Art from archives is now on exhibition at Lincoln Center.

Lastly, The NYC Municipal Archives have a free art exhibit: a compilation of police surveillance films. Note that, while the exhibit aims to explore concepts of privacy and acceptable intrusion, the choice to feature these films so publicly has its own implications for the privacy of those involved. Consider the abundance of cameras around us today: can you imagine being showcased in 60 years time based on that footage?

The exhibit ends this Tuesday. Feel free to view at Lincoln Center’s Clark Studio Theater, 165 West 65th St (between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave). Admission is free, and tickets are not required.

Resource: Permission Slip

It’s not just California’s DELETE Act–now, there’s an app that will reach out to data brokers to request deletion of records on your behalf. Of course, it’s not perfect, and it makes no guarantees. But it’s a good bit better than nothing, it’s a step in the right direction, and it’s free. Permission Slip is now available on both Android and iOS.

Good luck on midterms.

Please reach out with anything.

[email protected]

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