Google Privacy Violations, Military Sexual Assault, Soda Ban

Google Agrees to Pay $7 Million for Privacy Violations

Google agreed to pay $7 million for privacy violations stemming from their mapping service. The online search behemoth admitted that it accidentally collected personal information from unsecured networks when sending around camera cars. As part of the settlement with 37 states, Google will destroy the offending data and ensure that such violations do not occur again. We talk to Woodrow Hartzog, Law Professor at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama, where he specializes in privacy law and online communication.

Military Sexual Harassment Victims Testify at Senate Hearing

Military personnel who were victims of sexual assault testified in a Senate hearing today that military justice repeatedly lets perpetrators of the hook. According to the Defense Department, there were more than 19,000 cases of sexual assault last year, but only 3,192 reported. Critics argue that the system dissuades victims from coming forward. We will talk to Paula Coughlin, Advocacy Board Member of Protect Our Defenders. Paula was the whistleblower of the Tailhook sexual assault scandal. She also started the petition that got Congress to hold the Lackland hearing in January.

Court Knocks Down Mayor Bloomberg’s Soda Ban

Michael Bloomberg’s ban on large sugary drinks, did not go into effect this week as planned. The New York State Supreme Court invalidated the ban calling it “arbitrary and capricious." Controversial from the beginning, critics argue the city Board of Health overstepped its authority unilaterally regulating sales. Others argue a violation of fundamental rights. Business owners complain that it was unclear. We talk to Jennifer Pomeranz, Director of Legal Initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University.