Oh, the joys of technology. It can keep you connected when you’re feeling social or provide hours of solo entertainment when you’re not. And with new apps coming out every day, it is easy to get lost in a sea of technologically-induced euphoria. But don’t let your guard down too quickly, because events this week remind us that where there is technology, there likely is someone — or something — watching.
A St. Paul police officer and a Yahoo News reporter learned that lesson the hard way. The officer, who was caught on a bystander’s cellphone kicking an arrested suspect, is facing an internal investigation and community reaction. The Yahoo News reporter was fired after an audio test at the Republican National Convention inadvertently broadcast his disparaging comments about Mitt and Ann Romney.
California state legislators seem to understand the surveillance risks technology can pose. They just passed a bill requiring police to secure a warrant before obtaining GPS and cellphone tracking data. The bill is said to codify United States v. Jones, a U.S. Supreme Court case which held that the police must obtain a warrant before tracking criminal suspects using GPS technology.
Technology and the Workplace
BigLaw Firm’s Alleged Blog Disclosure Results in Defamation Claim by Ex-Associate (ABA Journal) (National Law Journal)
Motorola Software Developer Gets 4 Years in Prison for Stealing Trade Secrets (FOX)
Yahoo News Employee Fired Over Romney Remarks (WSJ)
St. Paul Police Officer Faces Investigation After Bystander Video Shows Violent Arrest (Star Tribune)
Google+ is Now at Work, App Rolls Out Social Networking Features (LA Times)
Technology and the Law
What the Apple-Samsung Verdict Means for Your Smartphone (CNN)
Court Rejects First Amendment Argument in YouTube Death Threat Case (Knoxville News Sentinel) (WSJ)
Location Privacy Bill Passed By CA Assembly (NBC)
Dutch Man Gets Suspended Term for Insulting Queen on Twitter (Irish Times)
Who Inherits Your iTunes Library? Why Your Digital Books and Music May Go to the Grave (Market Watch)
There’s an App for That
A Facebook App That Aims to Keep Private Photos Private (NY Times)
A Shelf Full of Cookbooks at Your Fingertips (NY Times)
Super PACs Spending: Tech Tool That Help You See Who’s Funding Who (Huffington Post)
25 Things You Didn’t Know Your iPhone Could Do (Yahoo)
Date Much? You’ll Want These Tech Tools (NBC)