Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on February 14, 2024, that his office has opened an investigation into DeepSeek’s privacy practices. DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence company with ties to the People’s Republic of China, has been banned on state owned devices in Texas, New York, and Virginia. The Pentagon, NASA, and the U.S. Navy
Three States Ban DeepSeek Use on State Devices and Networks
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Artificial Intelligence
New York, Texas, and Virginia are the first states to ban DeepSeek, the Chinese-owned generative artificial intelligence (AI) application, on state-owned devices and networks.
Texas was first to tackle the problem when it banned state employees from using both DeepSeek and RedNote on January 31, 2025. The Texas ban includes other apps affiliated with the…
Privacy Tip #428 – Getting Text Messages From E-ZPass or Toll Road Operators? They’re Scams Coming from China
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
This week, I received a fake text message (a smish) saying my E-ZPass account was overdue and that I urgently needed to pay it. That’s a new one and, apparently, quite effective. Luckily, I knew it was a scam, but others were victimized.
According to the website Krebs on Security, security researchers “say the…
Increased Privacy Enforcement Actions Anticipated Under Texas Privacy Law
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Data Privacy
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…
Precious-Metal Refiner Hit with Data Breach Class Action over 2023 Cyber-Attack
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Elemetal LLC faces a data breach class action resulting from its alleged failure to implement appropriate security measures, which led to a 2023 breach of approximately 13,000 customers’ personal information. Elemetal is a precious-metal refiner based in Texas, operating in more than 45 locations in the U.S.
The subject breach occurred between August 22 and…
TikTok’s Legal Woes from State AGs Continues
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Enforcement + Litigation
Last week, we outlined the lawsuits against TikTok by New York, California, and North Carolina, that followed in the footsteps of Nebraska, Nevada (which filed suit against TikTok in February of 2024), and Indiana, which filed suit against TikTok in 2022. Since last week, at least 11 more states have joined the fray, including…
Federal Court Rules Texas Drone Law Not Facially Unconstitutional
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Drones
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a district court’s 2022 ruling on the constitutionality of Texas Chapter 423 law (i.e., the drone law) which restricts the actions of drones. Nat’l Press Photographers Ass’n v. McCraw, No. 22-50337 (Oct. 23, 2023) The law reads:
A person commits an offense if the…
Nineteen States Have Banned TikTok on Government-Issued Devices
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity, Data Security
Governors of numerous states have issued Executive Orders in the past several weeks banning TikTok from government-issued devices and many have already implemented a ban, with others considering similar measures. There is also bi-partisan support of a ban in the Senate, which unanimously approved a bill last week that would ban the app from devices…
Texas Sues Google for Gathering Biometric Data
By Robinson+Cole's Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Team on
Posted in Enforcement + Litigation
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Google for alleged “blatant defiance” of Texas’s biometric privacy law, which prohibits capturing biometric identifiers without prior consumer consent. The complaint alleges that several Google products, including Google Home, Nest, and Google Photos, collect and catalog biometric identifiers such as facial structure and voice print.
Texas…
FTC Sues Data Broker for Selling Data from Reproductive Clinics and Places of Worship
By Robinson+Cole's Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Team on
Posted in Enforcement + Litigation
In a complaint filed this week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges that a data broker sold geolocation data from individuals showing their movements to and from sensitive locations, including reproductive health clinics, places of worship, and substance use disorder clinics. Kochava, the broker in question, allegedly collects and sells GPS location data from consumers…