Think about all the damaging, embarrassing, and ultimately private information you post onto your Facebook account. It’s not that surprising that for some attorneys, social media is akin to an appetizing treasure trove of discovery just waiting to be harvested….

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Technologist Cynthia Hsu, Esq.

Mobile apps and the law. These are two things that you might never have thought would go hand-in-hand. But they do. What lesson can be learned from the recent spate of privacy-related lawsuits against tech companies? Well, basically one thing:…

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Technologist Cynthia Hsu

Most people who use the Internet for social networking realize that their information may not always be private. But is Facebook’s tracking of user data illegal? Is it an invasion of privacy? That’s certainly the question on the minds of…

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Technologist Cynthia Hsu

Netflix/Facebook announced a deal last Thursday: an integration feature that would allow users to share their video streaming history with their friends. While the Facebook sharing feature will soon be available in about 44 countries, the U.S. won’t be one…

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Technologist Cynthia Hsu

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet. We all have heard about how privacy can be compromised in the new high-tech world. But the level to which people can…

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Technologist Adam Ramirez

Ever heard of Google’s Social Circle, an add-on for existing Google users to help add friends and invite new contacts? No? You’re not alone. News of a secret, stealthy – and kind of sleazy – PR attack on Google by…

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Technologist Cynthia Hsu

When internet radio giant Pandora updated its SEC filing recently, it announced to the world that the mobile app market could potentially be in for a big change. Pandora disclosed that a grand jury in New Jersey had issued the…

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Technologist Stephanie Rabiner

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet.In this age of terrorism fear and increased security, we live with the necessary hassle of full-body scanners at airports. While going through these scanners can…

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Technologist Jason Beahm

Probably not. If you work in California, or are otherwise subject to California law, I recently saw this article which again highlighted the oft-repeated warnings of many in the legal profession not to use your company’s e-mail to send out information that you deem to be confidential or, as in this case, even privileged. It can have consequences.

A California appeals court held that an e-mail an employee had sent from her employer’s work computer was not a confidential communication subject to the attorney-client privilege. Thus, the privilege which would have normally attached to the e-mail had she sent it from her own computer was deemed to be waived. A key factor in the case was that the employer had warned employees that e-mails sent from work were not confidential and could be monitored.

As noted in the article, not all courts have held this—and not all employers have such broad e-mail policies (although most do)—but it nevertheless again highlights the danger of using a computer at work when sending out confidential or sensitive information. Chances are that your employer has a fairly broad e-mail policy in place (and you might have even signed something which acknowledged it), but when in doubt … just don’t do it.

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet. Protecting customer private data is not necessarily easy for companies. And with increasing government regulation and customer expectations, the associated burden and cost…

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Technologist Laura Strachan