Email Hacking Case Causes Major Privacy Concerns

When is it permissible for an unauthorized party to view your personal email data? According to the August 2007 ruling of Bunnell v. Motion Picture Association of America, anyone can legally intercept data while it is housed on a temporary server during transmission without violating wiretap law.

Privacy advocates fear for the dangerous threat to online privacy if such a ruling is not overturned. The ruling could provide lawful immunity to entities that have an interest vested in your personal email. On August 5th the EFF filed a brief with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals arguing that the 1968 Wiretap Act does in fact protect emails from unpermitted interception while they are temporarily stored on the email servers that transmit them.

Read the EFF's brief...

Read more about Bunnell v. MPAA...

The Hill Has Its Eye on Behavioral Targeting

There is no doubt that behavioral targeting has become an attractive marketing avenue and continues its rapid growth. As companies continue to spread their data-gathering tentacles, the general public and government legislatures remain in the dark about data-collection processes and to what privacy rights individuals are entitled. It's no wonder that the elusive advertising practices have gained legislators' attention on the Hill.

Congress and presidential candidate John McCain both identify a greater need for law enforcement in today's digital space. In a statement on August 14, McCain says that he sees a place for a combination of industry self-regulation and law enforcement to protect consumer online privacy and security. Likewise, the House Energy and Commerce Committee could push legislation in the next session that could reshape today's behavioral targeting landscape in a big way.

Read more...

Tip: How long should you retain customer data?

Retain data for only as long as it serves a business purpose or as required by law.  

Know what your specific data retention requirements are based upon your business model and all legally required retention rules. Different businesses are required to keep data for varying lengths of time depending upon their regulatory requirements.

Read more tech-tips from our archive.

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