Washington D.C. – NetChoice is disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court has denied cert for Ajemian v. Yahoo. The case, originating in Massachusetts, reversed the privacy expectations of residents and held that next of kin automatically gets access to data of deceased users.
“The U.S. Supreme Court missed an important opportunity to clarify the privacy rights of Americans over their data when they die,” said Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel at NetChoice. “Massachusetts made the wrong decision last year in obligating Yahoo to disclose private data to those managing the estate of Ajemian. Unfortunately, without legislation, the state’s residents will see privacy protections disappear when they pass away.”