Summer 2015 Silha Bulletin

Volume 20, Number 3

Below is the Table of Contents for the Summer 2015 edition of the Silha Bulletin.  Click on the title to read the full article.

Bulletin Summer 2015: Volume 20, No.3
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Cover Story: “Right to Be Forgotten” Continues to Develop in the Year Following European High Court Decision
More than a year after the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) ruled that European citizens retain the right to have Internet search results deleted that link to “inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive” information about themselves under the European Union’s Data Protection Directive, Case C-131/12, Google Spain SL, Google Inc. v. Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD), Mario Costeja González, ECLI:EU:C:2014:317 (May 13, 2014), available at http://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?num=C-131/12, Google continues to grapple with EU member countries over how far the reach of the “right to be forgotten” should extend. 
        
Data Privacy: U.S. Supreme Court Accepts Review of Robins v. Spokeo, Inc.    
On April 27, 2015, the United State Supreme Court granted certiorari in Spokeo Inc. v. Robins, a case that could have broad implications for class action lawsuits targeting Internet companies under a number of consumer protection statutes.  

National Security: Two Years After Snowden Revelations, National Security Surveillance Issues Still Loom
The files that former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden provided to Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras continued to provide more information in late 2014 and the first half of 2015 about the NSA’s surveillance activities.  
        
Data Privacy: Major Data Breaches for Government, Private Companies Create Problems in 2015
On June 4, 2015, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the independent government agency tasked with managing Federal civil service, announced that it had been a victim of a data breach impacting the personnel data for nearly 4.2 million current and former federal employees.  

Defamation: Minnesota Court of Appeals Declares Criminal Defamation Statute Unconstitutional
On May 26, 2015, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s criminal defamation law was unconstitutionally overbroad.  

Online Speech: Supreme Court Throws Out Convictions for Violent Facebook Postings, Citing Intent
On June 1, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled than an individual’s intent must be considered when determining whether speech constitutes a “true threat.”  

FOIA: Obama Administration’s Handling of Freedom of Information Act Requests Under Fire
During the first half of 2015, several reports raised questions over President Barack Obama’s administration’s efforts to be transparent, despite the fact that the President had often called for greater government transparency.  

FOIA: D.C. Circuit Clarifies Key Fee Waiver Provisions of FOIA
On August 25, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit clarified who could be eligible for particular types of fee waivers under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).  

State Law Updates: Updates to State Laws Create Challenges, New Benefits for News Organizations
During the summer of 2015, several states made or attempted to make significant changes to laws that affect how reporters and news media organizations do their work.  

Endangered Journalists: Journalists Abroad Face Uncertain Legal Challenges; U.S. Television News Reporters Slain During Live Report
During the summer of 2015, journalists around the world, including the United States, faced threats of arrest, harsh prison sentences, and the loss of their lives.  

Data Privacy: Update: Tech Companies, Law Enforcement Continue to Battle Over Strong Encryption for Mobile Devices
Throughout the first half of 2015, the debate over data encryption for mobile phones continued among law enforcement officials, tech companies, and data privacy advocates.  

Defamation: Update: Rolling Stone Continues to Face Backlash for Campus Rape Story
During the summer of 2015, Rolling Stone magazine continued to manage the fallout created by the retraction of a November 2014 story detailing the alleged sexual assault on the University of Virginia (UVA) campus.  

Silha Center Events: 30th Annual Silha Lecture to Feature New York Times Investigative Reporter James Risen and Attorney Joel Kurtzberg
New York Times investigative reporter James Risen, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, will present the 30th Annual Silha Lecture, “Clear and Present Danger: Covering National Security Issues in the Post 9/11 World” on Monday evening, Oct. 19, 2015.