Cybersecurity & Privacy

  • February 13, 2025

    Musk Must Pay Up For Illegal Access To Data, Class Suit Says

    Elon Musk should be forced to compensate taxpayers and recipients of government benefits after gaining access to federal databases housing their data, a proposed class told a D.C. federal court, saying the billionaire violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

  • February 13, 2025

    Sandy Hook Families Seek To Enforce Alex Jones Judgment

    Infowars founder Alex Jones should be forced to pay the judgment that Sandy Hook families won in their long-running defamation case, even though he lodged a "baseless" appeal with the Connecticut Supreme Court in an effort to create further delays, the plaintiffs said.

  • February 13, 2025

    Musk Says He'll Drop OpenAI Bid If It Scraps 'For Profit' Plans

    Elon Musk has hit back at OpenAI's claim that his $97.375 billion takeover bid is improper, noting if the ChatGPT maker agrees to nix plans to become a for-profit business, his offer will be dropped. 

  • February 13, 2025

    Kirkland, Davis Polk Steer SailPoint's Upsized $1.38B IPO

    Private equity-backed cybersecurity firm SailPoint began trading Thursday following an upsized $1.38 billion initial public offering that priced at the top of its range, represented by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and underwriters' counsel Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, marking its return to public markets three years after being taken private.

  • February 12, 2025

    House Republicans Launch Effort To Craft Data Privacy Law

    The Republican leaders of an influential House committee on Wednesday established a working group to draft privacy legislation that would be able to overcome hurdles that have long stymied efforts to set a national standard for how companies collect, use and share consumers' personal information. 

  • February 12, 2025

    Crypto CEO Made $425K Disappear, Investor Tearfully Testifies

    A former business partner of a Texas man accused of running a $5 million fraud centered on a new "anti-money laundering" cryptocurrency testified tearfully before a California federal jury on Wednesday that her family invested about $425,000 in the defendant's previous cryptocurrency venture and lost every penny.

  • February 12, 2025

    OpenAI Says Musk Takeover Bid 'Exposes' Intent Behind Suit

    OpenAI on Thursday told a California federal judge overseeing Elon Musk's lawsuit seeking to block OpenAI from becoming a for-profit enterprise that the Tesla founder has proposed acquiring OpenAI's business, saying the takeover effort reveals Musk's lawsuit to be "an improper bid to undermine a competitor."

  • February 12, 2025

    DOJ Removes For-Cause Protection For FTC, Other Agencies

    The U.S. Department of Justice has determined that for-cause removals for members of the Federal Trade Commission, National Labor Relations Board and Consumer Product Safety Commission are unconstitutional, acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris informed Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., ranking Democrat of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a letter Wednesday.

  • February 12, 2025

    Colo. Judge Tosses Online Fax Co.'s Junk Ad Suit

    A Colorado federal judge dismissed an online fax service provider's Telephone Consumer Protection Act suit alleging a group of companies overwhelmed its system with "junk" faxes, finding in a Wednesday order that the law's prohibition specifically applies to a "machine" that receives and prints faxes.

  • February 12, 2025

    Dementia Society, CEO Must Face Workplace Spying Suit

    Three former Dementia Society of America employees who claim they found listening devices hidden in their workspaces can move forward with their lawsuit against the nonprofit, a Pennsylvania federal judge has ruled, holding that that they put forth plausible claims that the organization violated the federal and Pennsylvania wiretap acts.

  • February 12, 2025

    Western Digital Told To Pay $553M Sooner Rather Than Later

    Hard drive manufacturer Western Digital now has less than seven days to put up over half a billion dollars to satisfy a patent judgment after a California federal judge said he "has concerns about potential corporate restructuring."

  • February 12, 2025

    Allstate Hit With Another Class Action Over Data Collection

    Allstate has been hit with another proposed class action in Illinois federal court accusing the auto insurer of illegally obtaining the personal driving data of millions of policyholders via software embedded in third-party apps and using that data for the insurer's own underwriting purposes.

  • February 12, 2025

    OPM Violated Employees' Privacy Rights, Unions Say

    The U.S. Office of Personnel Management violated federal privacy laws when it gave Elon Musk's recently established Department of Government Efficiency access to its employment records, unions representing federal employees and administrative law judges said in a lawsuit filed in New York federal court.

  • February 12, 2025

    Mnuchin, Others Face Fiduciary Suit From Cybersecurity CEO

    The CEO of AI-driven cybersecurity venture Cybereason has sued former U.S. treasury secretary and company director Steven Mnuchin, along with others, in Delaware's Court of Chancery over financing roadblocks that allegedly threaten to tip the company into bankruptcy.

  • February 12, 2025

    Google Must Face Wiretapping Suit Over AI-Powered Assistant

    A California federal judge has refused to toss a proposed class action accusing Google of using a "human-like" customer-service product powered by artificial intelligence to illegally eavesdrop on users' calls with Hulu, Verizon and others, finding the consumers adequately allege Google is a third party that can benefit from the data.

  • February 12, 2025

    Treasury Chief Exempt From Block On DOGE's System Access

    A New York federal judge clarified that an order blocking Elon Musk and members of his Department of Government Efficiency team from accessing U.S. Treasury Department payment systems does not apply to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

  • February 12, 2025

    Meta User Antitrust Suit Gets Nov. 17 Trial Date

    A California federal judge has set a Nov. 17 trial date for accusations that Meta monopolized the social media advertising market weeks after he declined to certify a class of Facebook users that would have numbered in the millions.

  • February 12, 2025

    Starbucks Accused Of Flouting Mass. Polygraph Hiring Law

    Starbucks is ignoring a Massachusetts law requiring employers to inform job-seekers that the state doesn't allow the use of lie detector tests in employment decisions, according to a putative class action filed in state court.

  • February 11, 2025

    Trump Tells Agencies To Plan 'Large-Scale' Cuts With Musk

    President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that directs agencies to prepare for "large-scale" cuts to the federal workforce and gives Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency the authority to approve the future hiring of career officials.

  • February 11, 2025

    Wash. Health Privacy Law Debuts In Amazon Tracking Suit

    A Washington resident has launched the first claims under the state's groundbreaking health privacy law, as part of a proposed class action accusing Amazon of unlawfully harvesting location data from tens of millions of mobile phone users through third-party apps that are running the company's software development kit. 

  • February 11, 2025

    DOGE, Treasury Accused Of 'Largest' US Data Breach

    Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management conducted the "largest" data and IT security breaches in U.S. history, illegally exposing millions of people's sensitive information, a data privacy watchdog and group of federal employees alleged this week.

  • February 11, 2025

    Ex-NY Gov. Aide And Husband Deny Foreign Agent Charges

    A former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Linda Sun, and her husband on Tuesday pled not guilty to a superseding indictment that accuses her of secretly acting as an agent of China's government and adds new money laundering charges against her spouse.

  • February 11, 2025

    Progressive Inks $3.25M Data Breach Deal With 350K Members

    Approximately 350,000 Progressive Casualty Insurance customers on Tuesday asked an Ohio federal judge to grant final approval to a $3.25 million settlement stemming from a data breach event that exposed their personal information, noting the resolution is a favorable outcome, given the risks to their claims if litigation continued.

  • February 11, 2025

    2 Russians Arrested In $16M Phobos Ransomware Scheme

    Two Russian nationals were arrested on charges of operating a cybercrime cell that extorted about $16 million from victims around the world by stealing data and demanding a ransom for its return, Maryland federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

  • February 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Doubts X Plaintiff Can Revive Phone Data Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday questioned whether a lawsuit targeting social platform X could be revived and remanded to state court, with one judge suggesting circuit precedent established a privacy right that keeps the case in federal court, and another saying the lower court had "broad discretion" in deciding to dismiss the case.

Expert Analysis

  • A Guide To Significant 2024 Data Broker Legal Developments

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    2024 saw notable developments in U.S. data broker regulation and enforcement, and this momentum will likely carry into 2025, despite hypothetical efforts to the contrary under the new administration, say attorneys at Frankfurt Kurnit.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • The 6 Most Significant FCRA Litigation Developments Of 2024

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    From a key sovereign immunity decision at the U.S. Supreme Court to a ruling on creditworthiness out of the Seventh Circuit, several important Fair Credit Reporting Act cases wound their way through the courts in 2024, each offering takeaways for both plaintiffs and defendants, say attorneys at Shipkevich.

  • Identifying Deepfakes During Evidence Collection, Discovery

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys must familiarize themselves with the tools used to create and detect deepfakes — media manipulated by artificial intelligence to convincingly mimic real people and events — as well as best practices for keeping this fabricated evidence out of court, says Bijan Ghom at Saxton & Stump.

  • Health Tech Regulatory Trends To Watch In 2025

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    With an upcoming change in administration and the release of some long-awaited rules, the healthcare industry should prepare for shifting trends, including a growing focus on health data and interest in technology-enabled delivery of healthcare, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • The Securities Litigation Trends That Will Matter Most In 2025

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    2025 is shaping up to be a significant year for securities litigation, as plaintiffs and defendants alike navigate shifting standards for omission theories of liability, class certification, risk disclosure claims and more, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • How White Collar Enforcement May Shift In Trump's 2nd Term

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    After President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next month, the administration’s emphasis on immigration laws, drug offenses and violent crime will likely reduce the focus on white collar crime overall, but certain areas within the white collar world may see increased activity, say attorneys at Keker Van Nest.

  • Risk Management Takeaways From NIST's AI Symposium

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    Based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology's September artificial intelligence innovation symposium, companies should anticipate that laws and regulations safeguarding AI could take new forms and approaches that break the current mold, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • New Trump Admin May Bring Financial Oversight Turbulence

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    As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to begin his second term, his top financial market regulatory and securities law enforcement appointees, campaign promises, and regulatory preferences foretell a period of muddy regulatory waters, say attorneys at Kroll.

  • The Justices' Securities Rulings, Dismissals That Defined '24

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 securities rulings led to increased success for defendants' price impact arguments, but the justices' decisions not to weigh in on important issues relating to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's pleading requirements may be just as significant, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • 10 Noteworthy CFPB Developments From 2024

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    In a banner year for consumer finance regulation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made significant strides in its efforts to rein in Big Tech and nonbank financial firms, including via rules regarding open banking, credit card late fees, and buy now, pay later products, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

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    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

  • Data Privacy Landscape After Mass. Justices' Wiretap Ruling

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    In Vita v. New England Baptist Hospital, Massachusetts’ highest court recently ruled that the state’s wiretap law doesn’t prohibit all tracking of website user activity, but major financial and reputational risks remain for businesses that aren't transparent about customer’s web data, says Seth Berman at Nutter.

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