On June 12, 2026, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security announced that deepfake domains CFAKE.com and SOCFAKE.com were seized and taken down using the TAKE IT DOWN Act. The seized domains “were being used to publish thousands of digitally forged images and videos depicting famous women as nude and sometimes engaged in
DOJ Subpoena for Patient Records from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Blocked by Federal Court
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Children's Privacy, Enforcement + Litigation
On November 21, 2025, in a lengthy decision, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Mark A. Kearney quashed a subpoena issued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania’s Gender and Sexuality Development Program (CHOP) seeking documents:
(1) identifying the names, addresses, and social security numbers of…
Disney Agrees to $10 Million FTC Settlement Over Kids’ Privacy on YouTube
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Children's Privacy, Enforcement + Litigation
Disney has agreed to pay $10 million and change how it labels children’s videos on YouTube to settle claims by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that the company violated federal children’s privacy laws.
The settlement resolves allegations that Disney subsidiaries Disney Worldwide Services Inc. and Disney Entertainment Operations LLC failed to properly flag some of…
Privacy Tip #458 – FTC Alleges Robot Toy Maker Allows Third Party in China to Collect Children’s Geolocation Data
By Linn Foster Freedman on
On September 3, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit against Apitor Technology, which makes robotic toys, alleging that Apitor’s app “enabled a third party in China to collect geolocation information from children without parental consent.”
The DOJ filed suit following a referral from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that Apitor did not comply…
DOJ Seizes $2.8M in Cryptocurrency + Cash From Zeppelin Operator
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
On August 14, 2025, the Department of Justice announced that it unsealed six warrants “authorizing the seizure of over $2.8 million in cryptocurrency, $70,000 in cash, and a luxury vehicle.” According to the press release, “all of the cryptocurrency was seized from a cryptocurrency wallet controlled by Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko, who is charged by indictment…
Department of Justice Maintains Its False Claims Act Enforcement Focus on Government Contractor Cybersecurity
By Guest Contributor & Robinson+Cole's Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Team on
Posted in Enforcement + Litigation
Below is an excerpt of a legal update co-authored with Government Enforcement + White Collar Defense Partner David E. Carney.
On June 17, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced settlements of alleged False Claims Act (FCA) violations associated with cybersecurity requirements in contracts to provide a secure environment for online applications for federal housing…
DOJ Takes Down RaidForums’ Website
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
In an action against what has been described as one of the largest hacker forums in the world, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on April 12, 2022, that it has taken down RaidForums’ website and arrested its founder/administrator. According to DOJ, the domains seized were “Raidforums.com,” “Rf.ws,” and “Raid.lol.”
In its announcement,…
Russian Government Officials Charged with Hacking U.S. Energy Infrastructure
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed indictments against four Russian government officials on March 24, 2022, alleging that they hacked into networks that controlled energy systems in the U.S.
According to the DOJ, the attacks took place between 2012 and 2018, and included physical damage to infrastructure, as well as embedding malware for later…
Another Win for Justice Department: Slilpp Marketplace Takedown
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
People always ask me if law enforcement is having any luck in combatting cyber criminals. Let me be clear: it is a very tough job to take down cyber criminals located in other countries or sponsored by foreign nations. Our government is focusing on cyber criminals more than I have ever seen before, and the…
DOJ Grabs Colonial Pipeline Crypto Wallet from DarkSide
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
In an unusual and exciting twist to the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced this week that it was able to retrieve $2.3 million of the $4.4 million paid by Colonial Pipeline to DarkSide by seizing the wallet, and thus “preventing Darkside actors from using it.”
Way to go DOJ and…