cellphones
Texas Court Denies New Trial in Murder-for-Hire Case
A Texas plastic surgeon serving life in prison for a murder-for-hire plot does not deserve a new trial even if cellphone data showing he met with the hitman months before the murder was improperly admitted as evidence, Texas’ highest criminal court ruled Wednesday.
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High Court Spurns Appeals on Texting Suicide, Topless Beachgoers
A woman who sent her boyfriend text messages urging him to kill himself failed Monday to secure a review of her conviction by the U.S. Supreme Court. Three women who went topless at the beach were also turned down.
Read moreCanadian Officials Accidentally Push Nuke Alert to Millions
People throughout the Canadian province of Ontario awoke Sunday to an alarming alert of an “incident” at a nuclear plant just east of Toronto — only to later be told the message was a mistake.
Read moreCellphone Sentence
A man was properly sentenced to 12 years in custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections for possessing a cell phone in a jail where he was being held on a misdemeanor charge, the state’s supreme court ruled. The man claims his sentence is “grossly disproportionate” to the crime but it falls within the statutory range of three to 15 years.
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Missouri Court Orders NFL Owners to Hand Over Phone Records
National Football League team owners and other high-level league officials will have to turn over eight years of cellphone records as part of a lawsuit over the Rams’ move to Los Angeles, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled.
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People Puzzled by Wave of Peculiar Texts
If you woke up Thursday to a weird text that seemed totally out of place, you aren’t alone. A mysterious wave of missives swept America’s phones overnight, delivering largely unintelligible messages from friends, family and the occasional ex.
Read moreAT&T Pays $60 Million to Settle FTC Data-Throttling Suit
AT&T will pay $60 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission claiming the telecom giant misled millions of smartphone customers by promising unlimited data plans before slowing down their data speeds.
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Trump’s Phone Records Back Accuser’s Claim, Lawyer Says
Donald Trump’s cellphone records show a call to a former “Apprentice” contestant on a day when she says he subjected her to unwanted groping, according to a court filing.
Read moreDeceptive Trade
New York City sued T-Mobile USA, MetroPCS New York et al. in New York County Supreme Court, claiming they sell used phones as new, charge for fake taxes and unasked-for services, enroll users in financing plans without consent and misrepresent a “30-day guarantee.”
Read moreRF Radiation
Owners of cellphones made by Apple and Samsung accuse the tech giants in a putative class action filed Monday of hiding the fact their smartphones emit radiofrequency radiation sometimes 500% higher than levels recommended by scientists.
Read moreIPhones
A federal judge dismissed with prejudice a class action that claims Apple products are vulnerable to hacking, as plaintiffs did not show that their iPhones diminished in value or were degraded in performance.
Read moreNYC Eyes Bill to Block Telecoms From Sharing Customer Data
The New York City Council introduced a bill Tuesday that would prohibit cellphone companies and app developers from sharing customers’ data while the customers are within the city’s five boroughs.
Read moreJudge Unseals Warrant Used to Search Journalist’s Phone
The public will soon learn what information San Francisco police used to seize a reporter’s phone records in violation of California’s journalist shield law after an 11-page warrant was ordered unsealed Thursday.
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Senators Urge FCC to Maintain Quake Wireless Alert Speeds
A group of U.S. senators from the West Coast is urging the government to ensure that planned changes to the national Wireless Emergency Alert system do not impair its ability to provide rapid warnings about earthquakes.
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Iowa, Nevada to Launch Caucus Voting by Phone for 2020
Democrats in the early presidential contest states of Iowa and Nevada will be able to cast their votes over the telephone instead of showing up at their states’ traditional neighborhood caucus meetings next February, according to plans unveiled by the state parties.
Read moreAfter High Court Remand, Ninth Circuit Upholds Cellphone Warning Law
On remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a Berkeley, California, law that forces retailers to warn consumers about the potential health risks of cellphone radiation.
Read moreSuing Sprint
A class action in L.A. Superior Court claims that Sprint’s “buy [or lease] one, get one free” offer for cellphones is actually a usurious loan, with “exorbitant, unconscionable charges if the phone is not purchased, or the lease is terminated.”
Read moreEx-Governor’s Phone Seized in Flint Water Probe
Michigan authorities investigating Flint’s water crisis have used search warrants to seize from storage the state-owned mobile devices of former Gov. Rick Snyder and 65 other current or former officials, The Associated Press has learned.
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