There's been a huge hullabaloo this week about a discovery by two engineers that Apple iPhones and 3G iPads log users' locations with geo-coordinates and time stamps. A day later, it was revealed that Google's Android operating system can store two files tracking users' travels: one based on WiFi, and…
Articles Posted in Laws
Who is an American? For a "corporate person," does the answer depend on where the corporation is headquartered? Or, should we look at the composition of its workforce? Last week, I looked at some tax data found in various securities filings to calculate the tax rate paid by various corporations.…
The High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University and the Samuelson Law, Technology, and Public Policy Institute at UC Berkeley School of Law have teamed up on a new site, DoctoredReviews.com. The site was formed to provide consumers with information about medical contracts that purport to censor or prevent…
Last month, the New York Times featured an article on how G.E.'s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether. With Tax Day, just around the corner, I wanted to take a closer look at how much corporations were exactly paying in taxes. The starting point for this exercise begins with the…
Last week's threat of a federal government shutdown had this country in a tizzy over political gamesmanship. Which benefits would be cut? Federal funds for women's healthcare, including abortions? Would military families endure missing paychecks and delayed life insurance payments for loved ones killed in action? A last-minute 'compromise' meant…
Recently, our Justia friend (and my Law Librarian-Hero) Mary Minow mentioned that she traveled to Sacramento to testify in front of the California State Senate on Senate Bill ("SB") 445. The proposed bill seeks to amend the California Public Records Act by updating privacy protections for public library patrons as…
Bless her heart. This month, Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced the Retirement Security for Today's Four-Year-Olds Act of 2011, which seeks to curb the next generation's sense of entitlement. This bill seeks to change the definition of retirement age under the Social Security Act to 70, as of January 1,…
Watching events unfold at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant over the past week have reminded me how little I really know about how nuclear power is regulated. While reading about and listening to commentary on the crisis has better acquainted me with the work and analysis of U.S. and…
It's that time again, dear Justia readers, when we give you a Top Ten rundown of last month's most popular Onward blog and Facebook posts.
Last week, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker fired the shot heard 'round the world by signing a bill that limited the rights of most municipal and state employees to engage in collective bargaining. The bill does exempt public safety employees, including police officers, fire fighters, deputy sheriffs, state probation and parole…