Policy Observatory
A U.S. judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of the National Security Agency in a lawsuit challenging the interception of Internet communications without a warrant, according to a court filing. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in Oakland, California wrote the plaintiffs failed to establish legal standing to pursue a claim that the government violated the Fourth Amendment.
The ruling is the latest in litigation over the government's ability to monitor Internet traffic, and how it balances national security priorities against privacy.
In October 2014, the People’s Republic of China Supreme People’s Court issued interpretations regarding the infringement of privacy and personal information on the Internet. China has not implemented a comprehensive data protection law. Rather, data protection and privacy are regulated through several sector-specific laws.
In general, the Provisions prohibit Internet users and Internet service providers from using the Internet (or other information networks) to disclose or publish personal information. The personal information protected by this prohibition includes, at a minimum, personal genetic information, medical records, health examination materials, criminal records, home addresses and information regarding private activities. Disclosure or publication on the Internet (or other information network) may be permissible under certain circumstances.
Judges from The Hague ruled on Thursday that Dutch security service AIVD does not have to publicize the number of phone and Internet taps it sets up a year.
The US government prosecuted a South Korean businessman for illegally selling technology used in aircraft and missiles to Iran. The authorities exercised the border exception rule that allows to seize and search goods and people—without court warrants—along the border and at airport international terminals.
The court ruled that the authorities illegally seized the businessman's computer at Los Angeles International Airport and that the initial seizure cannot be justified.
In Switzerland, a 2012 court ruling restricts cameras to no more than two metres high to avoid peeping over garden fences. Despite the strict privacy rulings which could lead to Street View shut down in Switzerland, Google has revamped its online mapping service by adding ten times more images to its existing content.
Translink, the company responsible for the Dutch public transport card “OV-chipkaart” had been passing student travel data to the Education Executive Agency responsible for student finance in the Netherlands (DUO). DUO uses this data to figure out whether students who claim to live on their own – and therefore receive a supplementary grant – actually still live with their parents. A court ruled that this was violating students’ privacy.