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Complaints About Changed Pat-Downs at Airports

November 19, 2010

As previous reported on our blog, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has changed the way it manually searches passengers. In the three weeks since the TSA began more aggressive pat-downs of passengers at airport security checkpoints, traveler complaints have poured in. As reported in today’s NY Times, some offer graphic accounts of genital contact, others…

An Advance for Google in Germany

November 19, 2010

Germany — After months of public opposition, Google Street View went online on Thursday with panoramic images from 20 large German cities, including Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Frankfurt. As a result of resistance from politicians and privacy advocates who said that the service violated privacy by providing detailed images of buildings and front yards, more…

One Tweet Sends Chinese Woman To Labor Camp For A Year

November 18, 2010

As previously reported on our blog, in the United States, a Facebook post can get you fired. Well, in China, a tweet can send you to labor camp… As reported on NPR — Last month China and Japan were having a diplomatic spat over a chain of uninhabited, but disputed, islands in the East China…

Reduced Tuition for Illegal Immigrant Students in California

November 16, 2010

LOS ANGELES — In a unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday that illegal immigrants can be eligible for the same reduced tuition at public colleges and universities as legal residents of the state. The ruling is the latest in a series of high-profile battles about state immigration policies. In addition to Arizona’s strict…

For Whistle-Blowers, Expanded Incentives

November 15, 2010

WASHINGTON — When insider-trading scandals plagued the financial markets in the late 1980s, lawmakers created a bounty program for whistle-blowers, allowing regulators to reward tipsters who uncovered evidence of manipulation. The effort largely failed, in part because the issue of whether to make a reward payment was left to the discretion of regulators. In 20…

Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post

November 10, 2010

NY Times – In what labor officials and lawyers view as a ground-breaking case involving workers and social media, the National Labor Relations Board has accused a company of illegally firing an employee after she criticized her supervisor on her Facebook page. This is the first case in which the labor board has stepped in…

Justices Hear Case on Taxing of Students

November 10, 2010

WASHINGTON — “How do you draw the line,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked at a Supreme Court argument on Monday, “between a student who is working and a worker who is studying?” The case concerned medical residents, who work long hours as part of their studies, providing care to hospital patients. They are often paid more…

Shift May Push Democrats to Compromise on Tax Cuts

November 5, 2010

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday invited Congressional Republican leaders to negotiate about extending the soon-to-expire Bush-era tax cuts, but he stood his ground by arguing against the Republicans’ demand to keep those cuts for income above $250,000. Yet President Obama’s overture opens the door for extending those top tax rates at least for a…

E.U. Says It Will Overhaul Privacy Regulations

November 5, 2010

PARIS — The European Commission called on Thursday for stronger protection of Internet users’ personal information, after news of data leaks at companies like Facebook and Google highlighted concerns about digital privacy. Viviane Reding, the justice commissioner, announced its intention to overhaul the European Union’s data protection rules to take account of the development of…

Google muss 8.5 Millionen USD zahlen, um den Streit um Google Buzz beizulegen

November 4, 2010

Am 9. Februar 2010 startete Google den Service Buzz, einen Zusatzdienst, der es Google Mailnutzern ermöglicht Bilder, Videos und Kurznachrichten untereinander auszutauschen. Im Februar 2011 wurde dann eine Sammelklage gegen Google von Google Benutzern eingereicht. Die Kläger behaupteten, dass Google Buzz insbesondere gegen den Computer Fraud and Abuse Act verstößt. In diesem Gesetz sind insbesondere…