Large internet companies dominated the legal news this week. In a case against Google, the European Union’s top court ruled that citizens may compel search-engine owners to remove certain types of personal information included in search results of the citizens name. While this ruling currently has no direct impact on privacy laws in the United States, the practical implications of the ruling for Internet companies are interesting and the ruling could potentially be used by practitioners outside the European Union to try to influence courts in other jurisdictions. Closer to home, Minnesota enacted a law requiring a kill switch on all smartphones and tablets sold in the state by 2015. Minnesota is the first state to require this remote shut-off feature as a step towards addressing the loss or theft of mobile devices, but legislation is likely to follow in other states and at the federal level.
Technology and the Workplace
Should Companies Monitor Their Employees’ Social Media? (WSJ)
What Are The $10+ Billion Big Industries Of The Future? (Forbes)
Experts: Internet of Things and Wearables Will Dominate by 2025 (Mashable)
Some Predictions About the Internet of Things and Wearable Tech From Pew Research (NYTimes)
What It Means to Wear Headphones at Work (Yahoo)
Technology and the Law
European Court Lets Users Erase Records on Web (NYTimes)
EU ruling a stunner to U.S. Internet community (USA Today)
Mandatory ‘kill switch’ on smartphones becomes law (StarTribune)
The FCC and Net Neutrality: What You Need to Know Before Thursday (Mashable)
The Slow Decline of Peer-to-Peer File Sharing (Mashable)
There’s an App for That
Out in the Open: The Tiny Box That Lets You Take Your Data Back From Google (WIRED)
Show Me the Money: The Best Apps to Pay Friends Back (WSJ)
Hyperlocal apps help residents fight crime (CNN)
Twitter to roll out ‘mute’ feature (CNN)
To Know Thyself, Collect Data On Your Dog (NPR)