Law is Cool – Podcast #9

Show Notes

Total running time 21:15

0:16 Jacob Kaufman and Omar Ha-Redeye introduce themselves.

0:44 Jacob and Omar discuss final exams.

2:10 Omar introduces Lisa Feinberg of UofO Law and the Canadian Interest and Public Policy Clinic (CIPPC), who is one of the law students that filed a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner over Facebook.

3:19 Lisa describes the 22 violations of PIPEDA that the students identified.

4:12 Lisa explains the effort that went into developing the project

5:01 Lisa tells us how the Privacy Commissioner creates and issues recommendations

5:50 Lisa relates the implications for Facebook users, even outside of Canada

7:39 Even though Lisa uses Facebook, she tells us how much more she learned about the site through the project.

9:11 Lisa expresses her interests in social networking, and how she got involved in the project.

11:23 Jacob shares some Facebook policies that demonstrate their attitude to privacy.

11:45 Jacob quotes James Grimmelman, who likens Facebook to a virus. Omar says it sounds like something out of The Matrix.

12:24 Omar introduces an interview with Khurrum Awan, complainant in a case against Maclean’s.

13:30 Khurrum describes the turnout at the Tribunal by members of the media, and the importance of independent coverage.

15:10 Khurrum explains the procedural elements of the Tribunal, when we can expect a decision, and where the case can potentially go from here.

16:32 Jacob talks about the different ways that law students apply their legal education towards advocacy work in real life.

17:08 Jacob shares some of the things he learned from the Facebook complaint, such as how applications can obtain your information without your explicit consent.

17:45 Jacob mentions Robert J. Sawyer’s theory in Maclean’s that notions of privacy are themselves outdated, and that we should have chips implanted in us at all times to track our movements.

18:40 Jacob mentions David Lat, a former American prosecutor who left the law to blog on Above the Law, and how he documented his weight-loss program online. Omar relates how this could be used in the potential trend of obesity lawsuits we could see in the future.

19:54 Jacob describes a New Brunswick case on the disclosure of Facebook materials, Knight v. Barrett, [2008] N.B.J. No. 102.

20:34 Omar and Jacob sign off.

(Look for an upcoming post on a recent Ontario decision regarding Facebook)

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Law is Cool
This site is intended to provide a resource for those interested in law. Current law students, graduates preparing for their bar exam, and members of the general public, can all benefit from a deeper understanding of the legal framework that helps shape our society.