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Today: The Supreme Court signals geofence warrants require Fourth Amendment protections while hearing arguments on corporate liability for international law violations. DOJ launches prosecutions targeting the Southern Poverty Law Center's informant payments as alleged fraud. Tennessee bans cryptocurrency ATMs following FBI reports of $389 million in scam losses. Camden Property Trust settles RealPage rent price-fixing claims for $53 million.
Supreme Court Signals Geofence Warrants Require Fourth Amendment Protections
During oral arguments in Chatrie v. United States, Supreme Court justices indicated they will likely rule that police geofence searches of location data qualify as Fourth Amendment protected searches requiring a warrant. The case involves Okello Chatrie, convicted of bank robbery after Google provided location data for all cellphone users within 150 meters of the crime scene. Google's amicus brief revealed geofence warrants have covered areas as large as 2.5 square miles for 48 hours in San Francisco, exposing location history of thousands of users. While justices did not split on typical ideological lines, the court focused on how particularized warrants must be rather than banning the practice entirely. This is the first Supreme Court data privacy argument since the 2018 Carpenter v. United States ruling requiring warrants for 7+ days of cell-site location data.
Deepfake Regulation Expands Globally with Varying Definitions
Multiple jurisdictions are implementing deepfake disclosure requirements with different technical definitions creating compliance complexity. The EU AI Act requires deployers to disclose artificially generated or manipulated image, audio, or video content constituting a deepfake, with limited exceptions. South Korea's AI Basic Act mandates disclosure for content difficult to distinguish from reality. China's Administration of Deep Synthesis requires similar transparency. Deepfakes are increasingly used in cybersecurity attacks, including real-time audio/video impersonating executives to pressure employees into fraudulent wire transfers. The threshold question of what qualifies as a deepfake varies across jurisdictions, with common elements including AI-generation, false depiction of reality, deceptive quality, and potential for harm.
Section 230 Remains Critical for Photo Hosting and E-commerce Platforms
SmugMug President Ben MacAskill testified that eliminating Section 230 would bankrupt small photo hosting platforms unable to moderate tens of millions of daily uploads. SmugMug and Flickr cannot scalably review every upload, comment, or interaction before publication. MacAskill stated that pre-publication moderation would delay wedding photos for weeks and fundamentally change the real-time internet. The company reports CSAM to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and removes illegal content, but no technical solution detects illegal material at 100% accuracy. SmugMug maintains aggressive community guidelines against hate speech and harassment on Flickr while supporting professional photographers' business operations.
DOJ Indicts Southern Poverty Law Center for Alleged Fraud Over Informant Payments
The Department of Justice charged the Southern Poverty Law Center with fraud, claiming the organization deceptively paid informants to infiltrate hate groups. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated "The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence" and accused the organization of using donor money to "profit off Klansmen." FBI Director Kash Patel claimed the SPLC "lied to their donors, vowing to dismantle violent extremist groups, and actually turned around and paid the leaders of these very extremist groups." The indictment portrays every payment to informants as deceptive funding of hate groups. No donors have complained about the covert informant program, and the FBI was likely aware of it through longstanding coordination with SPLC. Critics note the prosecution emerged only after Trump took power, following years of SPLC flagging Trump supporters as hate group members.
Money Launderer for Social Engineering Enterprise Receives 5-Year Sentence
Evan Tangeman, 22, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for RICO conspiracy charges related to laundering cryptocurrency stolen by the Social Engineering Enterprise. Tangeman admitted to laundering at least $3.5 million and purchasing homes in California and Florida using fake names to conceal the gang's theft operations. The cybercriminal organization stole approximately $260 million worth of cryptocurrency from victims through database hacks, social engineering calls impersonating customer service, and physical thefts. After leaders were arrested in 2024, Tangeman ordered members to destroy devices and evidence. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro noted the enterprise spent stolen funds on "half-million-dollar nightclub tabs, Lamborghinis, and Rolexes." Tangeman received exotic automobiles as compensation and is unlikely to repay victims. He is the ninth person to plead guilty in the investigation.
Italy Extradites Alleged Chinese State Hacker to United States
Xu Zewei, accused of involvement with Chinese hacking group Hafnium, was extradited from Milan to Houston Federal Detention Center. U.S. prosecutors charged him with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unauthorized access to protected computers for attacks between February 2020 and June 2021. The nine-count indictment accuses Xu and co-defendant Zhang Yu of compromising thousands of computers worldwide, including targeting U.S. universities, immunologists, and virologists conducting COVID-19 vaccine research. Court documents state Xu confirmed to Shanghai State Security Bureau officers that he "had compromised the network of a research university located in the Southern District of Texas." Hafnium, also known as Silk Typhoon, conducted the 2021 Microsoft Exchange Server attacks. FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman stated the Chinese Communist Party targeted over 60,000 U.S. entities, successfully victimizing more than 12,700. Xu faces 77 years in prison if convicted. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian criticized Italy's extradition decision.
Camden Property Trust Settles Rent Price-Fixing Claims for $53 Million
Camden Property Trust agreed to pay $53 million to resolve claims it colluded with landlords to fix rent prices through RealPage revenue management software. The SEC 8-K filing states the settlement includes two equal installments of $26.5 million and "certain prospective commitments regarding the Company's business practices, including provisions relating to the disclosure and use of nonpublic data and the Company's use of revenue management software." Renters claimed Camden used RealPage software on more than 58,000 units and shared confidential information with horizontal competitors. Camden operated in at least 15 regional submarkets including Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh, San Diego, Tampa, and Washington. Camden is not admitting fault and intends to defend itself if the settlement fails court approval. The case is part of In re: Realpage Inc. Rental Software Antitrust Litigation (No. II), Case No. 3:23-md-03071.
Federal Judge Questions Trump's $10 Billion IRS Lawsuit Over Missing Adverseness
Judge Kathleen Williams raised constitutional concerns about Trump's lawsuit against the IRS he controls, noting the judicial system requires "two adversarial parties with an actual controversy between them." The case stems from Charles Littlejohn's 2019-2020 leak of Trump's tax returns to the New York Times and ProPublica. Littlejohn is serving a five-year prison sentence for the leak. Trump admitted he was "basically negotiating with himself over how much taxpayer money would be put into his own bank account" and his lawyers requested more time to negotiate a settlement with themselves. Judge Williams cited Aetna Life Ins. Co. v. Hartford, stating there must be "an honest and actual antagonistic assertion of rights by one individual against another, which is neither feigned nor collusive." The court noted Trump is suing in his personal capacity while his named adversaries are entities subject to his presidential direction. Defendants have not filed notices of appearance. Case No. 26-cv-6420 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
Jury Awards $5,000 in Uber Sexual Assault Bellwether Trial
A federal jury in Charlotte, North Carolina, awarded $5,000 in nominal damages to a woman who argued she was sexually assaulted by her Uber driver in 2019. The case is part of multidistrict litigation against Uber involving passengers claiming sexual assault or harassment by drivers. The passenger testified her driver asked her to sit in the front seat and grabbed a "handful" of her upper thigh upon arriving at her destination. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer previously determined Uber is a common carrier under North Carolina law with a "non-delegable duty" to safely transport passengers. The jury determined the driver sexually assaulted the plaintiff and she was entitled to recover damages for emotional distress. The case is WHB 823 v. Uber Technologies Inc., Case No. 3:25-cv-00737, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, and part of In re: Uber Technologies Inc. Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation, Case No. 3:23-md-03084.
Keurig Faces Second Class Action Over Recyclable K-Cup Claims
Plaintiff Tracy Sulli filed a class action lawsuit against Keurig Dr Pepper in New York federal court claiming the company falsely advertises K-Cup pods as recyclable despite most recycling centers refusing them due to small size, irregular shape, multi-material construction, contamination issues, and unfavorable economics. Sulli argues Keurig relies on a "purely theoretical definition" of recyclability ignoring FTC Green Guides principles and consumer understanding. Keurig settled previous recyclable K-Cup claims in 2023. Sulli seeks to represent a New York class who purchased K-Cups between August 9, 2022, and the date notice of class certification is disseminated. She demands declaratory and injunctive relief, statutory damages of $50 per transaction, statutory damages of $500 per transaction, and costs and expenses for violations of New York General Business Law. Case No. 26-cv-6420 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
Tennessee Bans Cryptocurrency ATMs Following FBI Scam Reports
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed legislation banning cryptocurrency ATMs effective July 1, 2026, making Tennessee the second state after Indiana to impose such restrictions. Cumberland County Sheriff Casey Cox testified that law enforcement "is increasingly encountering them in connection with fraud schemes that target our most vulnerable citizens" including government impersonation, tech support scams, romance scams, and pig butchering schemes. Scammers use fear and urgency to convince victims to withdraw cash and deposit into crypto ATMs using QR codes for instant conversion to Bitcoin sent to criminal digital wallets. The FBI reported 13,460 complaints related to cryptocurrency ATMs in 2025 involving $389 million in losses, with two-thirds stolen from people over 60. Massachusetts sued Bitcoin Depot in February after finding more than 80% of contacted customers were scam victims. Iowa sued Bitcoin Depot and CoinFlip, and Washington D.C. sued Athena alleging 93% of its transactions were scam-related. Minnesota's similar measure passed the Senate and awaits House vote.
Department of Labor Visa Program Enforcement Authority Heads to Supreme Court
The Supreme Court granted review in a case determining whether the Department of Labor has authority to hold administrative hearings to collect penalties and back wages from employers violating seasonal farm worker visa program terms. The dispute arose from DOL's assessment of more than $500,000 in penalties and back wages against Sun Valley Orchards, a New Jersey farm that allegedly housed workers in squalid conditions, charged for meals after promising a kitchen, and used unlicensed drivers for transportation. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit reversed the district court and ruled in the farm's favor, holding the Constitution requires DOL to proceed before a federal district court rather than an administrative judge. U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer called it a "straightforward case" noting temporary farm workers "account for a sixth of the United States' agricultural workforce" and the decision "deprives the government of an important tool for ensuring that employers comply with the conditions for employing those workers." The case will likely be argued in fall 2026.
Supreme Court to Decide Corporate Liability Under Alien Tort Statute
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Cisco Systems v. Doe on whether corporations can be held liable as accomplices for violations of international law under the Alien Tort Statute. Chinese and U.S. citizens are suing Cisco for its alleged role in helping the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party develop a surveillance system used to target, detain, and torture Falun Gong practitioners. The 1789 ATS allows foreigners to bring lawsuits in U.S. courts for serious violations of international law. In Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain (2004), the Supreme Court ruled the ATS only gives courts jurisdiction and does not provide a cause of action, limiting claims to violations as specific and widely accepted as the 18th-century wrongs of safe-passage violations, ambassador rights violations, and piracy. The case addresses whether plaintiffs can rely on the ATS to hold corporations responsible for facilitating human-rights violations by foreign governments.
Anthropic's Mythos AI Cybersecurity Capabilities Prompt Emergency Hardening
Anthropic announced Claude Mythos Preview on April 7, 2026, with capabilities to uncover vulnerabilities in critical code, analyze software without source code access, and connect flaws into attack chains at speeds exceeding human teams. Anthropic created Project Glasswing, a restricted defensive-security initiative providing select technology companies, infrastructure providers, and open-source maintainers early access to Mythos for vulnerability remediation before comparable capabilities reach attackers. Cloud Security Alliance published guidance on organizational preparedness. Over 20% of Boards and C-Suites have been briefed on Mythos according to informal polling at cyber in-house counsel conferences. Anthropic recommends senior leadership updates, incident response plan reviews, accelerated patch cycles replacing 30/60/90-day programs, data minimization efforts, and enhanced detection capabilities. Organizations should incorporate AI into cybersecurity workstreams and prepare for evolving reasonable practice standards as threat landscape changes.
Congress Urged to Reject Section 702 Reauthorization Without Warrant Requirement
Speaker Johnson introduced the Foreign Intelligence Accountability Act to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before expiration. EFF argues the bill fails to provide substantial reforms, most notably lacking a real warrant requirement for FBI queries of U.S. persons' conversations. The bill mandates a civil liberties protection officer at the Director of National Intelligence review all FBI queries of U.S. persons to ensure no laws were broken, but assessment occurs after surveillance has already occurred. The bill "prohibits targeting United States persons" but current law already contains this prohibition, and surveillance is typically justified as "incidental" because Americans are not the "target." The bill does not create warrant requirements, transparency requirements, or privacy protections. EFF urges Congress to reject the bill and push for real reforms including judicial warrants for FBI searches of Americans' conversations collected under the national security intelligence program.
Tennessee's 'Charlie Kirk Act' Compels University Free Expression Policies
Tennessee passed House Bill 1476 requiring public higher education institutions to adopt freedom of expression policies consistent with the University of Chicago's 2015 policy promoting "fearless freedom of debate and deliberation" and political neutrality per the Kalven Report. The bill prohibits universities from preventing speakers even if most students object, but compels colleges to allow any speaker regardless of institutional endorsement concerns. The bill defines "substantially obstruct or otherwise substantially interfere" to include making noises to drown out speakers, standing between speakers and audiences to block views, or using signs/objects to impede audience views. Critics argue the bill travels beyond protections against heckler's vetoes to compel speech and restrict students' First Amendment rights to protest speakers they disagree with. The bill passed both the Tennessee House and Senate and awaits Governor Bill Lee's expected signature.
Prepare for geofence warrant requirements: Law enforcement agencies and organizations holding location data should implement particularization standards for geographic boundaries and time periods in geofence warrant requests and responses following anticipated Supreme Court Fourth Amendment ruling in Chatrie v. United States.
Implement deepfake disclosure mechanisms: Organizations deploying AI-generated content must comply with EU AI Act, South Korea AI Basic Act, and China deep synthesis disclosure requirements. Update incident response procedures to address deepfake-enabled social engineering attacks targeting executive impersonation and fraudulent wire transfers.
Accelerate patch cycles for Mythos threat landscape: Replace 30/60/90-day patch programs with accelerated cycles. Brief Boards and C-Suites on Mythos capabilities, update incident response plans, implement AI-assisted vulnerability scanning, and review data minimization practices for unused or air-gapped data.
Review environmental marketing claims for FTC Green Guides compliance: Ensure recyclability and sustainability claims reflect actual infrastructure availability and consumer understanding, not theoretical material properties. The second Keurig K-Cup recyclability lawsuit demonstrates continued enforcement risk.
Monitor cryptocurrency ATM regulatory restrictions: Operators in Tennessee must cease operations by July 1, 2026. Track legislative proposals in Minnesota and other states following FBI reports of $389 million in scam losses and state attorney general lawsuits against Bitcoin Depot, CoinFlip, and Athena.