Online Law

LinkedIn’s Bad Week: 6.5m Hacked Passwords, And Caught Sucking In Your Private Data

June 6th 2012

Linked In confirms that potentially millions of its passwords have been compromised – and this comes just a day after they were discovered to be sneaking data from mobile users may fall on the wrong site of privacy rules. Here’s what you need to do right now to protect your data and perhaps your identity.

The Digital Hunt for the Craigslist Killer Spawns Fresh Legal Issues

May 1st 2012

Along with a huge amount of info, photos and recordings around the “Craigslist Killer” investigation – the Boston Police’s release of its Facebook subpoena response raises a tangle of unresolved privacy issues. These include whether Facebook’s policies favor prosecutors, and the privacy of innocent friends. You can also listen in on the cat and mouse of the interrogation, which is on YouTube. Amazing.

SNOPA: Bill to Protect Facebook Privacy Introduced in Congress

April 29th 2012

A bill to protect privacy on social networks such as Facebook has been introduced in Congress. Here’s a serious reality check on why smart employers should keep well away from their staff’s social grid.

Is Pinterest a Copyright Bomb? Real Politic Meets Disingenuous Terms of Use

March 21st 2012

MIT Tech Review hails Pinterest’s terms of use as a genius-level copyright dodge. And while that may be so, its position is disingenuous to the point of irony.

Rick Santorum Has a Dirty Problem with SEO, and He’s Made it Worse

February 15th 2012

The gay rights protest site “Spreading Santorum” now eclipses the official Santorum campaign site on the major search engines. Its a text book case bad SEO decisions, and the power of offensive though apparently resonate free speech.

Facebook Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Tracking Cookies

October 6th 2011

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Facebook for the use of tracking cookies that records browsing history after users have logged off the service. Imagine the Winklevoss brothers with a mob of 150 million potential litigants.

Meet John Barranco: Bully, Embezzler and “Educator”

September 21st 2011

The John Barranco I knew was a scary, mean, egotistical, opportunistic, visionary but selfish man. He was insightful, manipulative, and too often stupid with range. And along the way he may have made off with 30 million dollars intended for disabled kids.

New York Announces Digital Roadmap. Will Massachusetts Lead, Follow or Abdicate?

May 17th 2011

Tonight, a few of us here in Massachusetts are having a discussion about what industry and government groups can do to Fuel Massachusett’s Digital Economy. As New York kicked off their plan to be the World’s leading digital city yesterday, its time to ask what role Boston and Massachusetts aspire to in the digital economy.

Are You Ready for the US Government as the Arbiter of Trust and Privacy?

April 22nd 2011

Not all nations spy on their people without court orders, but the Washington does. In in my mind, this excludes them from the privacy and trust business. And there are good reasons to be skeptical of Washington’s new approach to national online identity management.

Jesse Jackson Jr.’s Hypocrisy and Digital Marketing’s Naivete

April 19th 2011

Before Jesse Jackson Jr. blamed unemployment on the iPad, he proposed a constitutional amendment to give an iPod and laptop to every student in the US. Digital marketers, meet your future regulator.