Internet Governance
Overseas Obstacles: The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear oral arguments in “Microsoft Ireland,” a high-profile data privacy case between Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) concerning the ease with which U.S. law enforcement can access information stored overseas.
Debated Directive: Amendment 13 of the European Union’s Copyright Directive proposal, which would require the monitoring and filtering of user-created content on online platforms such as YouTube, WordPress, and Dropbox, is under attack by 57 civil society organizations because they believe it infringes on the fundamental rights of the European citizens.
Privacy
Australia on Alert: The Australian government has launched the pilot phase of a national reporting and support system to combat revenge porn that allows victims to notify law enforcement and technology companies hosting the content, and that tracks the content across the internet.
Remit Recommendations? The United States Deputy Attorney General and the officials of other nations are increasingly recommending the use of responsible encryption, which provides law enforcement with secret keys to read encrypted data from various private entities, yet experts warn that these keys can be stolen and used by hackers.
Candid Cameras: A new video billboard display in London’s Piccadilly Circus will use hidden cameras to detect the age, gender, emotional expressions of nearby pedestrians, and even the make and model of passing cars; the display will respond by serving targeting advertisements, although the display owner’s claims that it will not collect or store any personal data.
Information Security and Cyberthreats
Hack Back: A new bill called the Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act would legalize, for the first time, limited retaliatory strikes against domestic cyberattacks, authorizing “cyber defenders” to identify the attacker and destroy any stolen data, but raising concerns of potentially destructive internet vigilantism.
Unsafe Universities: Universities face a unique set of cybersecurity considerations including regarding the array of sensitive data that these institutions process, each network’s various users such as parents of students and university staff, the challenges of imposing effective cybersecurity compliance across these populations, and the increased frequency of hacks against universities.
Intellectual Property
Loopholing Librarians: The Internet Archive seeks to reproduce and distribute books copyrighted between 1923 and 1941 for the public via protection from the Copyright Act’s Section 108(h), which allows libraries and archives to reproduce and distribute published works that are not actively sold and are in their last twenty years of copyright protection, without fear of allegations of infringement.
Angry Apple: Apple will appeal a $439.7 million judgment against it for allegedly infringing on four recently-invalidated patented technologies used in FaceTime and other iOS apps, continuing a five-year patent battle between Apple and the company holding those patents.
Free Expression and Censorship
Disrupt At Your Own Risk: In an effort to promote the free speech of others on their campus, the University of Wisconsin has adopted a new policy allowing it to discipline and even expel students who interfere with the free expression of others via violent or disorderly misconduct, or frequently disrupt speakers during engagements on campus.
Practice Note
Medical Monitor: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued final guidance addressing the design and development of connected medical devices that can exchange highly sensitive data with other medical equipment, urging manufacturers to identify anticipated users, potential misuse scenarios, and to conduct product testing to mitigate the unique security risks of their devices.
On The Lighter Side
Mapping Out Planets: A fun new feature on Google Maps allows users to explore the surface of sixteen celestial bodies, including local planets and moons.
Information Law News From CLIP-ings International Correspondents Around the Globe
This academic year, former CLIP-ings Editorial Fellows studying abroad are reporting from time-to-time on current local news and developments in the field of information law!
From Victoria Loeb – Paris, France:
Online Voting by 2020? French President Emmanuel Macron recently announced that he intends to implement electronic voting for the next consular elections in 2020, as the 2017 elections included a “notable absence” of French voters overseas; however, approval of an online voting system will likely be contingent on a debate about its privacy and security standards.
Twitter is Just the Starting Point in France: As in the United States, French women have been using social media to expose male sexual harassment; this may lead to new legislation as the French government discusses proposals to fine men for aggressive and lecherous behavior towards women in public, planning to consult legal experts and present Parliament with measures before next year.
Joel R. Reidenberg
Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Chair and Professor of Law
Founding Academic Director, Fordham CLIP
N. Cameron Russell
Executive Director, Fordham CLIP
Yemi Danmola
Harrison Kay
Rilana Wenske
Editorial Fellows, Fordham CLIP