Around the Net
Michigan Judges Consider Whether Privacy Law Applies To Streaming Media
- MLive, Monday, May 2, 2016 11:59 AM
The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments last week about whether Pandora violated a state privacy law by integrating with Facebook in 2011. Pandora, which participated in an earlier version of Facebook's “instant personalization” program, allegedly shared logged-in Facebook users' names and photos with outside companies. Facebook user Peter Deacon sued the Pandora for allegedly violating Michigan's Video Rental Privacy Act, which prohibits companies that rent, lend or sell music (as well as books and videos) from disclosing customers' identities without their consent.
A federal trial judge in San Francisco found that Michigan's law doesn't apply when companies stream tracks. Deacon appealed to the 9th Circuit, which sent the case to Michigan, to allow judges in that state to interpret the law.
