Penny Dean and Your Rights

Senators Ron Wyden and Edward Markey have revealed that eight automakers, including BMW, Kia, and Toyota, are providing users' location data to law enforcement without requiring a court-issued warrant. This discovery comes despite the companies' previous pledges to only disclose such sensitive data with a warrant or court order. The senators urge the Federal Trade Commission to investigate these car manufacturers for allegedly deceptive practices. They highlight that only six automakers, including Ford and Tesla, strictly require warrants for location data requests.

Federal investigators have ordered Google to provide information on viewers of specific YouTube videos, sparking concerns among privacy experts. Court orders reveal requests for data on individuals suspected of potential criminal activities, including buying bitcoin for cash and making bomb threats. The orders require Google to disclose user names, addresses, telephone numbers, and activity for both Google account users and non-account owners who accessed the videos. Critics argue that these demands threaten constitutional protections of free speech and freedom from unreasonable searches.

The District Court for the Northern District of California has ruled against California's laws preventing individuals with non-violent felony convictions from exercising their Second Amendment rights, even after their convictions were vacated in other states. Plaintiffs, including Chad Linton, Paul McKinley Stewart, and Kendall Jones, had their convictions set aside or vacated and their firearm rights restored in their respective states. However, California continued to prohibit them from exercising their Second Amendment rights.

An Oklahoma judge, Traci Soderstrom, agreed to step down after being caught sending hundreds of texts from the bench during a murder trial involving the killing of a 2-year-old boy. The texts, which mocked prosecutors and included emojis, led to accusations of gross neglect of duty, oppression in office, and lack of proper temperament. Soderstrom also agreed not to seek judicial office again in Oklahoma.

The National Security Agency (NSA) has been revealed to purchase internet browsing data of U.S. citizens from commercial data brokers without obtaining a warrant. In an unclassified letter to Senator Ron Wyden, NSA director Paul Nakasone confirmed this practice, emphasizing that the collected data does not include the content of private internet communications or location data from phones used in the United States. The NSA uses this information for lawful Department of Defense missions, including intelligence, personnel security, and cybersecurity.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Florida declared the law prohibiting Americans from possessing guns in postal offices as unconstitutional in the case US v Ayala. The ruling involved a postal worker, Emmanuel Ayala, who possessed a firearm at a Post Office. The 53-page decision emphasized that the government failed to provide historical evidence justifying the ban, as required by the Supreme Court. Mizelle, appointed by former President Donald Trump, highlighted the absence of historical examples supporting the prohibition.

A little-known surveillance program known as Data Analytical Services (DAS) tracks over a trillion domestic phone records annually within the United States, challenging its legality, according to a letter obtained by WIRED from US Senator Ron Wyden to the Department of Justice. The program, formerly known as Hemisphere, operates in collaboration with AT&T, allowing law enforcement agencies to analyze the phone records of individuals, even those not suspected of any crime, using chain analysis.

A federal judge has rejected a class action lawsuit against Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, and General Motors, alleging violations of Washington state’s privacy laws. The lawsuit claimed the car manufacturers used on-board infotainment systems to record customers’ text messages and mobile phone call logs.

The FBI is investigating a data breach where cybercriminals stole patients' records from a Las Vegas plastic surgeon's office and posted the details online, including nude photos.

In February, cybercriminals gained access to Hankins & Sohn's network in Henderson and Las Vegas, downloading patient information. The practice notified patients in March and April, acknowledging the breach and stating they are working with law enforcement.

In a dispute over a repair law, Subaru and Kia have disabled wireless car features in Massachusetts, impacting car buyers who lose access to features such as automatic emergency calls and remote start. This action stems from a state law allowing car owners to share wireless repair information with any service shop, not just authorized dealers. The article highlights the broader issue of manufacturers retaining control over devices, such as cars, once they are wirelessly connected, affecting privacy and ownership.