Carpenter v. United States: Reevaluating Privacy Rights in the Smartphone Era

by Erin Ryan | Nov 26, 2017 | Amicus, Courts & Judicial Interpretation, Policing and Law Enforcement, Privacy and Technology

While technology has empowered us to access a wealth of information about the world, it can also empower others to access a wealth of information about ourselves. When we feed personal information to our various electronic devices, can we expect that information to...

Packingham v. North Carolina: Sex Offenders, Facebook, and the First Amendment

by twoods | Nov 13, 2017 | Amicus, Courts & Judicial Interpretation, Criminal Justice, Freedom of Expression, Privacy and Technology

“While we may now be coming to the realization that the Cyber Age is a revolution of historic proportions, we cannot appreciate yet its full dimensions and vast potential to alter how we think, express ourselves, and define who we want to be. The forces and directions...

Face ID and the Fifth Amendment: Gaps in the Legal Protection of Cell Phone Passcodes

by Yaseen Eldik | Nov 4, 2017 | Amicus, Privacy and Technology

This week, Apple launched its latest product, the iPhone X. Among its newest features, the iPhone X includes Face ID facial recognition software. According to Apple, “[w]hen Face ID detects and matches your face, iPhone X unlocks without asking for the device...

REAL Consequences: How Massachusetts’s Stricter Than Necessary Drivers’ License Policy Hurts Undocumented Residents

by Skye | Oct 30, 2017 | Amicus, Immigration, National Security, Privacy and Technology

Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) granted Massachusetts a one-year extension for coming into compliance with the REAL ID Act, a law that requires state-issued identification cards to meet certain standards in order to be recognized by the...

Zach Greenberg: Striking the Balance Between Academic Freedom and Transparency in Higher Education

by Skye | Apr 10, 2017 | Amicus, Education & Youth, Executive Branch, Legislation, Privacy and Technology

After more than 1,100 law professors sent an open letter opposing the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General, many received something wholly unexpected in return: open records requests for their university-account emails containing the words...

When science meets civil rights

by wflanagan | Mar 18, 2017 | Amicus, Criminal Justice, Privacy and Technology

Should a person with an IQ score of as low as 57 be sentenced to die because “[m]ost Texas citizens might agree” that his “reasoning ability and adaptive skills” are greater than those of John Steinbeck’s character Lennie from Of Mice and Men? That, in a sense, is the...