Can Gawker be held legally liable for maintaining poor security standards and incompetence leading to this? Can anybody cite related laws or cases?
One thing open to interpretation would be whether the password in the file could be used to access someone's bank account. If someone uses the same e-mail address and password at both sites, that would be true.
Section 1798.29, E, 3
-- Definition of Personal Information
Account number, credit or debit card number,
in combination with any required security code,
access code, or password that would permit
access to an individual's financial account.
I am not a lawyer.