Legal Tech News

A California resident invoked the state's Consumer Privacy Act to demand that surveillance company Flock delete all personal and vehicle data from its databases. The individual formally revoked consent for the company to collect their information in the future. Flock has since responded to the privacy inquiry.

California’s proposed bill AB 2047 would mandate censorware on all 3D printers and criminalize the use of open-source alternatives. Critics warn that the legislation will stifle technological innovation and introduce severe consumer harms like surveillance and platform lock-in. Advocates are urging the state to reject the bill, arguing that it merely repeats the historical failures of digital rights management.

Fiverr is facing severe criticism after a security flaw left sensitive customer files, including tax returns and Social Security numbers, publicly searchable via Google for nearly a week. Although the company claimed the documents were uploaded with explicit user consent as work samples, affected users dispute this and stress the severe privacy risks posed to vulnerable individuals using the platform. The leaked files were recently blocked by the hosting provider, but the prolonged exposure has sparked widespread outrage over the marketplace's data protection practices.

Spain plans to expand dynamic internet blocking during live sports and movie broadcasts to combat piracy, a strategy critics argue causes collateral damage by inadvertently restricting access to legitimate websites. In response to these aggressive measures and the sports industry pushing to ban consumer VPNs, digital rights advocates are calling for stricter EU-level intervention. They argue that broad IP-based restrictions violate net neutrality principles and set a dangerous precedent for internet freedom and user privacy across the European Union.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has declared a nearly 158-year-old federal ban on home distilling unconstitutional. This ruling removes longstanding restrictions on individuals producing their own spirits at home and could spur new innovations in small-scale distillation equipment.

Google's latest Android update strips location metadata from photos when users upload them through web browsers, breaking functionality for mapping sites like OpenBenches. This change prevents developers from using embedded geolocation data to accurately place user-submitted images on a map.

A newly compiled archive details a staggering timeline of major cybersecurity breaches that have largely flown under the radar this year. By documenting these underreported hacks, the collection sheds light on the escalating and often overlooked digital threats facing modern organizations.

Michigan lawmakers withdrew proposed digital age legislation following backlash over its handling of consumer data privacy. Critics argued the bills relied on flawed opt-out mechanisms rather than requiring strict opt-in permission for data sales. The controversy highlights broader frustrations with tech companies using delayed consent models to harvest user data for AI training without explicit approval.

The final installment of a tech series explores AI safety and alignment, arguing that trusting commercial or government entities to align AI systems with individual goals is inherently dangerous. Reader discussions highlight the adversarial nature of these power dynamics, emphasizing how concentrated institutional power actively undermines natural human cooperation to prioritize corporate and governmental interests.