MSBA Computer and Technology Law Section

Ohio Supreme Court: Cell phones protected under Fourth Amendment.

Kevin Brady — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 09:22:24 -0600

In a recent ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court has held that police need a warrant before searching data stored on a cell phone. The court held that, lacking exigent circumstances or a safety concern to officers, such an action violates the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure. The court's press release is here.

In a similar case, the U.S. Supreme Court recently granted cert in a case involving a police SWAT team member's work pager. The Ninth Circuit held that the SWAT member had a reasonable expectation of privacy over text-message data held in the device, despite the police department's official "no privacy" policy covering such devices.

Facebook and Businesses

Damien Riehl — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:46:15 -0500

MSBA Computer & Technology Law Section member Jamie Nafziger has co-written an informative article that analyzes some legal implications and tips for businesses that use Facebook. It is a helpful primer for Facebook frequenter and uninitiated, alike.

"Don’t Just Close Your Eyes and Leap: Top Five Issues in the Facebook Terms of Use"

Upcoming CLEs - the Institute and Social Media/Legal Issues

Alycia Kirkevold — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:37:28 -0500

Reminder!!! Check out these upcoming CLEs:

The Computer and Technology Law Institute on October 27th, 2009 (including discussions on the future of the internet, year in review, trade secrets, customer and employee data protections, social networking and ethics, and MORE!).

and

Finding Your Tweetzone: Balancing the Benefits and Risks of Business Social Networking on November 10, 2009, a discussion related to the legal issues surrounding the use, risks and other considerations of social networking tools being implemented by businesses.

Hope to see you there!