News

Digital Privacy – Electronic Surveillance in the Digital Age Program

JMD’s Fred Williams will discuss the privacy of communications and computer data under key federal statutes and cases in a Digital Privacy program on January 24, 2011. Topics to be covered include when is it a federal crime to access another’s emails, social networking data, and computer files? Can an employer, a spouse, a business rival monitor others’ emails and access their computer files? What are the potential penalties and remedies if they do? What are the limits on access by law enforcement agencies?

Focus of the program will be on the Wiretap Act, Stored Communications Act, Electronic Communications Privacy Act, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and current trends in the caselaw for these and computer searches.

For more information: 704/ 375-8624

Fred Williams has been of counsel with James, McElroy & Diehl since 2004 when he retired after 38 years with several federal agencies. As an Assistant United States Attorney here in Charlotte, he was assigned responsibility for the above laws, for prosecuting computer and intellectual property crimes, and supervising the white collar unit. He received awards from the FBI Director for helping train computer forensics examiners. He has taught a course on law and ethics for graduate students in computer science at UNCC for ten years. At JMD he has represented and counseled persons involved in criminal and civil matters relating to electronic surveillance, computer intrusions and searches, copyright, trade secret, and trademark issues relating to computers and software.