Dell Cameron reports: Automakers are increasingly pushing consumers to accept monthly and annual fees to unlock preinstalled safety and performance features, from hands-free driving systems and heated seats to cameras that can automatically record accident situations. But the additional levels of internet connectivity this subscription model requires can increase drivers’ exposure to government surveillance and the likelihood of being caught…
Reverse Keyword Search Warrants and the Threat to Online Privacy
Abigail Zislis writes: Reverse keyword warrants impose severe consequences on individual constitutional rights, which may range from breaching Fourth Amendment protections from unreasonable searches, to implicating innocent and unrelated users who search for similar relevant terms, to chilling First Amendment freedom of speech rights, and curtailing online access to critical healthcare information. I. Keyword warrants threaten Fourth Amendment…
Belgium Rules Sharing Americans’ Bank Data Violates Privacy Law
Caleb Harshberger reports: A Belgian agency ruled that the government’s sharing of Americans’ financial information with the IRS under a US law violates European data protection laws. The US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, requires reporting of foreign bank account information to the US agency. The Belgian Data Protection Authority issued the ruling Thursday, saying…
FTC Publishes Final COPPA Rule Amendments
Hunton Andrews Kurth writes: On April 22, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission published in the Federal Register final amendments to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule (the “Rule”). The Rule will go into effect 60 days from publication, on or about June 21, 2025, with a compliance deadline of April 22, 2026. The Rule retains many…