Data

Ashley Madison Class-Action: Plaintiffs Must Use Real Name or Drop Out

Ashley Madison class-action: plaintiffs must use real name or drop out A federal judge ruled that Ashley Madison plaintiffs must use their real names to participate in a class-actio lawsuit. A federal judge ruled last week that those plaintiffs who want to continue as part of class action suit against Ashley Madison over a 2015 data breach must use their real names or drop out. The judge gave…


Judge Denies Lyft’s $12 Million Settlement With Drivers

A federal judge has rejected Lyft Inc.’s proposed $12.25 million settlement to resolve a case filed by California drivers over their status as independent contractors of the ride-hailing service. In a ruling Thursday, Judge Vince Chabria of California’s Northern District said the settlement amount shortchanged drivers’ mileage expenses …


College Rankings Should Include Campus Safety

It’s college acceptance season. Millions of students are now weighing their options about where to spend the next four years of their lives. As they do, they will likely turn to premier college rankings guides such as The Princeton Review, an independent organization that has offered data on colleges and universities for more than three decades.


Ransomware’s Aftermath Can Be More Costly Than Ransom | Malware

Downtime caused by a ransomware attack can cost a company more than paying a ransom to recover data encrypted by the malware, according to a report released last week byIntermedia. Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of companies infected with ransomware could not access their data for at least two days because of the incident, and …


Avoiding Legal Landmines in Data Breach Response

Lawyers and information security professionals have something very fundamental in common: We see risk everywhere we look. As someone who began his career as an attorney but has gradually transitioned into information security, I have hung around long enough now to see the two disciplines gradually converge. Cybersecurity and the law are colliding all around us—sometimes violently, but …


Medical Organizations, Facebook Sued in Class Action

In a new class-action lawsuit, plaintiffs claim Facebook spied on users who relayed private health information on major cancer institutes’ websites in order to make profit off the data in advertising revenue. Courthouse News Service reports Winston Smith has sued Facebook, the American Cancer Society, the American Society of Oncology and five others alleging Facebook uses the private health …


At&T Lawyers Dodge Class Action Suit for LTE Throttling

AT&T has managed to successfully tap dance around a class action lawsuit filed by customers whose “unlimited” wireless data connections were throttled without AT&T making the restrictions clear. US District Court Judge Edward Chen has told customers suing the telco for its misleading throttling practices that they can’t sue as part of a class action — because they signed a contract with AT&T …


At&T Just Dodged a Bullet in Court — but Its Troubles Are Just Beginning

A California judge decided that the class-action lawsuit filed against AT&T for throttling unlimited data will not be allowed to proceed. According to AT&T, customers should only have their complaints heard on an individual basis through arbitration, and it seems as though Judge Edward Chen from the U.S. District Court in Northern California agrees with the company. Many customers, however, …


At&T Defeats Class Action in Unlimited Data Throttling Case

Customers who sued AT&T over its practice of throttling unlimited data plans will not be able to pursue a class-action lawsuit against the company. AT&T argued that the customers could only have their complaints heard individually in arbitration, and Judge Edward Chen of US District Court in Northern California has sided with the cellular company. The customers’ contracts with AT&T required …


Home Depot Settles Data Breach Consumer Lawsuit

(Reuters) — Home Depot Inc. agreed to pay at least $19.5 million to compensate U.S. consumers harmed by a 2014 data breach affecting more than 50 million cardholders. The home improvement retailer will set up a $13 million fund to reimburse shoppers for out-of-pocket losses and spend at least $6.5 million to fund 1-1/2 years of cardholder identity protection services. Home Depot also agreed to …