internet privacy – Duane Morris TechLaw

June 26, 2024 by Duane Morris

Colorado Privacy Act’s Universal Opt-Out Provision Goes Into Effect July 1, 2024

While the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) has already been in effect, as of July 1, 2024, companies that meet the threshold compliance criteria for CPA and that engage in the processing of personal data for purposes of targeted advertising or the sale of personal data (“covered entities”) must implement a universal opt-out mechanism, which allows users to more easily exercise their opt-out rights with these covered entities. Specifically, a universal opt-out mechanism allows a user to configure their internet browser settings, and as a result, the websites the user visits from that browser automatically receive the user’s opt-out signal. As of July 1, 2024, covered entities must recognize and honor a user’s opt-out preferences where communicated through a universal opt-out mechanism.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

November 28, 2018 by Duane Morris

Pa. Supreme Court Rules Employers Have Legal Duty to Protect Employees’ Personal Information from Data Breaches

On November 21, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) had a legal duty to exercise reasonable care to protect sensitive employee information against an unreasonable risk of harm when that information is stored on an internet-accessible computer system. Dittman v. UPMC, No. 43 WAP 2017 (Pa. Nov. 21, 2018). In doing so, the Court made clear that the criminal acts of third parties who may breach a computer system do not alleviate the legal duty on a business to protect such information. The Court further held that the economic loss doctrine (a doctrine that precludes tort cases where the loss is purely monetary) did not apply in this case because the legal duty to protect sensitive employee information exists independently from any contractual obligations between the parties.

Visit the Duane Morris LLP website to read the full Alert.

October 10, 2018 by Eric J. Sinrod

Politicians Seek Greater Online Consumer Privacy Protections

The Congressional mid-term elections are coming up. There is ample current discussion about whether the Republicans can hold onto majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Many Democrats believe that they have a strong chance of taking over as the majority party in the House, and some think that they may even take the Senate majority, but that latter potential achievement will be far more difficult, as many more Democrat Senators are up for reelection than Republican Senators.

If the Democrats take over as the majority party in the House, CNET reports that they plan to urge broad internet privacy protections. Representative Ro Khanna from Silicon Valley has drafted an “Internet Bill of Rights.” At this point, this document is not a bill, but instead puts forward ten principles that Khanna reportedly wants to become part of a comprehensive legislative package that could be considered by Congress in 2019. Continue reading “Politicians Seek Greater Online Consumer Privacy Protections”