Is your tech spying? Find out how to reclaim your privacy.

Yes, your technology is spying on you; what can be done about it? “My job is to sense a problem coming,” said Stuart I. Teicher, an attorney, a legal educator and the keynote speaker at the ABA Techshow 2024 on Friday. Technology may be your best friend, but it could simultaneously be your downfall. Teicher warned about the ethical concerns tied to tech, including privacy issues and the potential for data breaches. He emphasized that attorneys have a duty to make reasonable efforts to safeguard client information and should supervise the use of legal tech just as they would supervise nonlawyers or other humans. Lawyers should educate themselves about the underlying tech and foresee potential ethical and data breach issues.

Teicher used the example of email to illustrate how tech can create ethical challenges. When email was first introduced, firms were not given the option to use it due to privacy concerns. However, as the rules of confidentiality changed and precautions were taken, tech-related issues such as privacy breaches started to emerge. Today, even commonly used tech like Dropbox is openly viewed and shared by humans without our knowledge. Attorneys need to understand the tech, anticipate possible outcomes, and identify potential problems from an ethical and data breach standpoint.

Overall, Teicher emphasized the importance of being cautious and educated about the use of technology in the legal profession. Attorneys should not blindly trust tech but should take responsibility for supervising its use and protecting client information.