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Kelly Frye Barnett is a member of the firm's Litigation Section and the Business Litigation Group and the Data Privacy + Security Team. Prior to joining Robinson+Cole, Kelly was a law clerk at the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the City of Hartford, where she assisted the Corporation Counsel in its duties as legal advisors to the Hartford City Council, the mayor, and all other agencies of the City.  Read her full rc.com bio here.

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, recently delivered the keynote address for a privacy conference, attended by policy experts and European Union (EU) lawmakers in Brussels, Belgium, where he advocated for new data privacy laws in the United States, similar to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Cook said that modern technology has led to the creation of a “data-industrial complex” in which personal data is “weaponized against us with military efficiency.” According to Cook, this problem doesn’t just affect individuals, but whole societies.
Continue Reading Apple CEO Calls for Comprehensive US Privacy Laws

In the age of web-connected vehicles, the consumer’s relationship with the vehicle’s manufacturer takes on a whole new meaning. Not only does the relationship exist for the purpose of vehicle maintenance or future repairs, but the consumer also serves as a rolling information bank to the manufacturer. Indeed, nearly every new vehicle is by default

This week, a self-driving SUV operated by Uber—and with an emergency backup driver behind the wheel—struck and killed a 49-year-old pedestrian as she walked her bicycle across a street in Tempe, Arizona. It is believed to be the first pedestrian death associated with self-driving technology.

In addition to the Tempe Police Department, the National Transportation

Over the last several years, drones have rapidly grown in popularity. From quick deliveries during rush hour to reaching an otherwise inaccessible military base, drones are proving to be extremely advantageous where humans are either unable to reach an area or are unable to perform specific tasks in a timely and efficient manner.

Increasing productivity

Anthem Inc. has reportedly agreed to pay a settlement of $115 million to its customers that were affected by what is being called one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history.

The settlement is reportedly the largest ever to result from a data breach in the United States and would end a class action lawsuit that commenced after the 2015 breach. Using a stolen password, hackers were able to break into an Anthem database and steal close to 80 million records containing sensitive information belonging to former and current customers, including customer names, dates of birth, physical and email addresses, medical IDs, and Social Security numbers.
Continue Reading Anthem Settles Data Breach Suit for Record $115 Million

The United States Supreme Court has just agreed to hear the case of a Detroit man who was sentenced to 116 years in prison after data from his own cellular phone was used against him at his trial for his role in a string of robberies of Radio Shacks and T-Mobile stores in metro Detroit and Ohio over a two-year period.

Timothy Ivory Carpenter, who was sentenced in 2014 in U.S. District Court, was alleged to have organized the robberies and cell phone data obtained without a warrant from his provider was presented at his trial that indicated, according to an expert witness, that he was in the vicinity of the robberies when they occurred.

On appeal, Carpenter and another defendant, both of whom were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups, argued that data revealing the locations of their cell phones supplied to investigators by wireless carriers should have been excluded from trial. They argued that because those records were created for the purpose of determining the costs of their cell phone bills, collecting that data violated constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Mobile Phone Privacy Case

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) privacy rules required providers such as Comcast Corp. and AT&T Inc. to get subscribers’ permission before collecting and sharing their personal data. On April 4, 2017, President Donald Trump signed a congressional resolution rescinding those rules and sparking major concern both in the U.S. and Europe.

Indeed, according to a

Last month, the President announced his nomination of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch—a federal appeals court judge—to the Supreme Court. Gorsuch must still go through Senate confirmation hearings before officially becoming the ninth justice in our nation’s highest court, but some are already discussing Gorsuch’s potential impact on cybersecurity, technology and privacy law.

Gorsuch is better known for his rulings related to religious liberty and criminal, reproductive, and administrative law. However, when faced with cases involving technology and digital rights, Gorsuch has demonstrated his careful consideration of the way ever-evolving technologies impact constitutional rights.
Continue Reading Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch on Data Privacy

In the wake of the holiday season, it seems that even toys are not immune from privacy and security pitfalls. Two “connected” toys, Genesis Toys’ My Friend Cayla and i-Que robot, have been accused of violating U.S. and European privacy, security and advertising laws.

The toys at issue provide children with an interactive experience via