Supreme Court Supports Innovation in Cloud Services
For those who don’t obsessively follow Supreme Court cases (I know there must be a few of you out there), the Supreme Court has been busy this week announcing two decisions we support. In American Broadcasting Cos. v. Aereo Inc., the Supreme Court reaffirmed the importance of copyright protections while still supporting innovation in cloud technology. For app developers who rely on the cloud to distribute our products and who make very cool copyrighted content, this decision is important. Aereo [...]
No Warrant? No Cellphone.
Today the Supreme Court ruled in Riley v. California that law enforcement must get a warrant before accessing the data on your cellphone or smartphone. This unanimous decision by the Court is an important step in protecting the privacy of mobile device users. Since 1914, the Supreme Court has recognized an exemption to the Fourth Amendment warrant requirements known as “search incident to arrest.” This exemption said that an arresting officer could search the things you had on your person [...]
ACT Statement for the Record on Expansion of First Sale Doctrine to Digital Content
Statement from ACT President, Jonathan Zuck to Congressman Howard Coble regarding the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet’s hearing on June 2, 2014, “First Sale Under Title 17." [pl_button type="info" link="http://actonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ACT-First-Sale-Hearing-Letter.pdf" target="blank"]Read Full Statement[/pl_button]
Supreme Court Affirms Warrant Needed to Search Phone Data
ACT | The App Association executive director Morgan Reed issued the following statement in response to today’s Supreme Court ruling in Riley v. California requiring a warrant for law enforcement access to smartphone data of an arrested suspect. Today’s Supreme Court ruling establishes critical privacy protection standards for mobile device users. Consumers will have confidence in the security of their smartphones and tablets knowing that law enforcement needs a warrant to access their data. Today’s decision also provides a clear [...]
Secrets, secrets are no fun
Microsoft Executive Vice President and General Counsel Brad Smith (left) and Cameron Kerry discuss the future of global technology, privacy, and regulation at The Brookings Institution on June 24, 2014. Yesterday, Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith addressed a packed room at Washington’s Brookings Institute on the future of global technology, privacy, and regulation . It's been more than a year since Edward Snowden’s revelations sparked a global debate on privacy, data collection, and government surveillance - and the [...]
Buyer Beware: Android Phones Now Ship with Malware
It was reported last week that certain Android phones manufactured in China are shipping with pre-installed malware. Worrisome enough are the risks associated with downloading apps from uncurated stores, but pre-loaded malware presents a whole new set of anxieties to privacy concerns in the mobile space. The devices are infected with the Uupay.D Trojan, which poses as the Google Play Store app and runs in the background of a corrupted phone, stealing data and sending it to an anonymous server based [...]