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Privacy & Data

Amicus Brief in Spokeo v. Robins

The Center for Democracy & Technology has filed an amicus brief in Spokeo v. Robins, calling on the Supreme Court to preserve the ability of individuals to file private claims for privacy violations as granted by federal laws. CDT is joined on the brief by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, New America’s Open Technology Institute, and the World Privacy Forum.

In this case, Thomas Robins filed a claim under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) against Spokeo, a data broker, as Spokeo’s report on Robins contained inaccuracies. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the existence of inaccuracies in the report gave Robins standing to sue under the FCRA, as provided by Congress. Spokeo appealed that decision to the Supreme Court in 2014.