Duane Morris TechLaw

October 15, 2013July 18, 2016 by Eric J. Sinrod

The Price Tag for Cyber Crime Continues to Increase

Cyber crime is not new. And despite grappling with it now for years, the cost of cyber crime continues to increase. This has been made plain by the 2013 Cost of Cyber Crime Study by the Ponemon Institute that was sponsored by Hewlett-Packard.

What do we learn from this study? Well, for starters, the annual cost of cyber crime is a staggering $11.56 million per U.S. organization. This represents a 26 percent increase from the $8.9 million figure from last year.

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October 8, 2013July 18, 2016 by Eric J. Sinrod

California Criminalizes “Revenge Porn”

In my most recent blog, I reported on the phenomenon of “revenge porn,” the unfortunate practice by former lovers, boyfriends, and husbands of posting nude and sexual photos and videos of women with whom they had been intimate.

Now, according to Reuters, California Gov. Jerry Brown has just signed a unique state law that criminalizes revenge porn.

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October 1, 2013July 18, 2016 by Eric J. Sinrod

Down With Revenge Porn Sites

Smartphones now provide the ability for users impulsively to take photographs and videos of life as it happens. And lovers in the midst of passion at times record their amorous activities with the intent of keeping revealing photos and videos private. What happens, though, when love dies, but the photos and videos remain? Do they stay private?

Unfortunately, often times the answer is “no.”

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September 17, 2013July 18, 2016 by Eric J. Sinrod

FTC Investigates Facebook’s Proposed Privacy Policies

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry to determine whether Facebook’s recently announced privacy policies violate an agreement to obtain express consent before revealing users’ private information to new viewers.

According to The New York Times, the FTC claims Facebook’s new policies require users to provide Facebook with broad permission to utilize their personal information in advertising. Facebook has fired back, stating that this requirement comes from a class action settlement to users who were unhappy that their names and images were used in Facebook ads to shill products to their friends.

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September 10, 2013July 18, 2016 by Eric J. Sinrod

Can You Really Remain Anonymous On The Internet?

In the early days of the Internet, an editorial cartoon from The New Yorker depicted a dog in front of a computer monitor and keyboard with a caption that read “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” The point was that people could behave however they liked online without others knowing their true identity.

But is that really true? Au contraire my canine friends.

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September 3, 2013July 18, 2016 by Eric J. Sinrod

The Low-Tech U.S. Supreme Court

Gone are the days of non-electronic, hard-copy communications, right? Not so fast! According to The Associated Press, the Justices of the United States Supreme Court are still very low-tech — almost to the point of being no-tech.

When communicating with each other about pending cases under consideration, the Justices tend to send each other formal memoranda printed on ivory paper. This was revealed by Justice Elena Kagan during an interview by Ted Widmer, a Brown University historian and librarian.

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August 21, 2013July 18, 2016 by Eric J. Sinrod

NSA Seeks To Come Clean On Surveillance Practices

With potential reforms in the wind with respect to government surveillance practices, the National Security Agency (NSA) has issued a seven-page report that seeks to explain and justify its conduct.

The report, titled “The National Security Agency: Missions, Authorities, Oversight and Partnerships,” begins with a quote from President Obama that calls for “reviewing the authorities of law enforcement, so we can intercept new types of communication, but also build in privacy protection to prevent abuse.”

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August 13, 2013July 18, 2016 by Eric J. Sinrod

Proposed White House Cybersecurity Incentives Could Pay Off

Cyber threats are real and they’re on the rise. In this climate, the White House is considering certain incentives for companies that follow government recommended cybersecurity measures.

While the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) passed the House in April, the Obama administration’s cybersecurity program is only just taking shape, and its tentative concepts were recently unveiled.

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August 6, 2013July 18, 2016 by Eric J. Sinrod

Vacation Should Mean Vacation In The Tech Era

We live in the always-on age. Around the clock we can log in and communicate electronically in many ways.

While this often is advantageous and convenient in the working world, this dynamic can create challenges and even risks when it comes to vacations.

‘Vacation’ Means Taking a Break

We are rewarded with vacation for a reason. It gives us the opportunity to take a break from the workplace, relax, and rejuvenate ourselves with down time and leisure activities.

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July 23, 2013May 20, 2016 by Eric J. Sinrod

American Universities Under Siege By Cyberattacks

American universities are being bombarded by cyberattacks, according to a recent New York Times article.

These universities are being hit with millions of hacking attempts per week, and some of those attempts have succeeded in obtaining personal and other data.

Unfortunately, at times these data compromises are not discovered until long after the fact, if at all.

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