Enacted in 1988, the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) was intended to regulate the then-booming videotape industry by limiting how video rental and sales data is disclosed. The law was enacted in direct response to the publication of a Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork’s video rental history. Though videotapes may be a memory of the
WhatsApp Patches Vulnerability That Facilitates Remote Code Execution
WhatsApp users should update the application for vulnerability CVE-2025-30401, which Meta recently patched when WhatsApp was released for Windows version 2.2450.6.
Meta cautions Windows users to update to the latest version due to the vulnerability that it is calling a “spoofing” issue that could allow attackers to execute malicious code on devices. The attackers…
A Year in Privacy and Security: Privacy Violations, Large-Scale Data Breaches, and Big Fines and Settlements
2024 was a year chock-full of data breaches and privacy violations. Many new data privacy and cybersecurity regulations were introduced (and became effective), and regulators sent a strong message to businesses that privacy must be at the forefront of their strategy and goals and that robust security controls are required to protect employee and consumer…
Increased Privacy Enforcement Actions Anticipated Under Texas Privacy Law
While California was the first state to implement a comprehensive consumer privacy rights law and the first to bring an enforcement action for violations, Texas is quickly becoming the next privacy regulator to watch. The Texas Privacy and Data Security Act (TPDSA) became effective in July 2024, and the Texas Securing Children Online through Parental…
The Push for Warning Labels on Social Media Platforms, States Attorneys General Urge Lawmakers to Take Action
Should kids be on social media? At what age? Should parents monitor their conversations on those platforms? Do parental controls work? These are questions facing many parents and guardians, especially with the increasing use of social media platforms by kids and teens. The Pew Research Center reported that 58% of teens are daily users of…
Pixel Litigation Drives Transparency in Privacy Policies
Pixels, a piece of tracking software businesses use to assess the success of their advertising campaigns, are creating headaches for in-house counsel as decades-old laws are being revived by litigants. Unlike cookies, pixels cannot be easily blocked with privacy software. The potential consequences for improper use have increased due the Federal Trade Commission’s increasingly close…
Shareholder Suit Against Meta for Data Breach Goes Forward
Meta (formerly Facebook) has been hit with a revived class action shareholder suit stemming from its involvement with Cambridge Analytica, a firm that infamously mined Facebook user data for hyper-targeted political engagement. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco restored shareholders’ claims that Meta falsely stated that user data “could” be compromised…
AI Firms Sign Voluntary Commitments to Oversee Use of AI Technology
Amid growing concern of the use of AI tools, Congressional questioning and hearings, and the lack of regulation around its use, at least seven technology firms have signed on to follow voluntary commitments to oversee how AI technology is used. The commitments include oversight of thorny issues such as AI safety, privacy, cybersecurity, and public…
Privacy Tip #361 – Beware of ChatGPT-Themed Scams
Researchers at Meta, the owner of Facebook, released a report this week which indicated that since March 2023, Meta “has blocked and shared with our industry peers more than 1,000 malicious links from being shared across our technologies” of unique ChatGPT-themed web addresses designed to deliver malicious software to users’ devices.
According to Meta’s report…
Popular Tax e-Filing Sites Reportedly Sent Tax Info to Meta
According to reporting from the Verge and the Markup, several popular e-filing providers have been transmitting sensitive financial information to Meta through Meta Pixel. Meta Pixel is a free advertising analytics service offered by Meta that, similar to cookie files and other persistent user identifiers, collects personalized data about how the users interact with content…