Prof. McGeveran Comments on Wall Street Journal Blog About Release of Hacked Sony Documents

Professor William McGeveran, an expert on digital privacy law, was quoted extensively on the popular Wall Street Journal Law Blog about documents stolen by hackers from Sony Pictures. Sony's lawyer, David Boies, sent letters to media outlets warning them not to publish stories about the contents of the documents, which have been leaked online. McGeveran explained that current law offers Boies' position little support. Courts tend to allow journalists to publish newsworthy information that was obtained illegally by someone else, and they often defer to the media about what counts as "newsworthy." McGeveran also suggested that this precedent might be ripe for reevaluation—if a case reached an appellate court.