EFF: “Despite Facebook’s repeated warnings that law enforcement is required to use “authentic identities” on the social media platform, cops continue to create fake and impersonator accounts to secretly spy on users. By pretending to be someone else, cops are able to sneak past the privacy walls users put up and bypass legal requirements that… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: April 2019
Google searches reveal popular bird species
EurekAlert – Knowledge may help fine-tune conservation messages – “Cross-referencing a decade of Google searches and citizen science observations, researchers have determined which of 621 North American bird species are currently the most popular and which characteristics of species drive human interest. Study findings have just been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of… Continue Reading
Hacker has dumped nearly 1B user records over past two months
ZDNet: “A hacker who spoke with ZDNet in February about wanting to put up for sale the data of over one billion users is getting dangerously close to his goal after releasing another 65.5 million records last week and reaching a grand total of 932 million records overall. The hacker’s name is Gnosticplayers, and he’s… Continue Reading
2019 Pulitzer Prize Winners
Video and text – local news organizations were well recognized for their outstanding work – “The 2019 Pulitzer Prize winners in 14 journalism and seven letters, drama and music categories were announced on Monday, April 15 at 3 p.m. Eastern. Two special citations were also awarded.” Special Citations – – Capital Gazette “A special citation… Continue Reading
What e-books at the library mean for your privacy
cnet: “E-books and audiobooks, now standard at libraries, make protecting privacy harder. Titles are usually provided through private companies, which can access your data. And today’s software can create more comprehensive records about you than a simple list of the books you checked out. (You can also get many e-books and audiobooks online free and… Continue Reading
The Special Counsel’s Report: What Do Current DOJ Regulations Require and Can Congress Get It?
CRS Legal Sidebar via LC – The Special Counsel’s Report: What Do Current DOJ Regulations Require? March 7, 2019: “…This Sidebar examines the current legal obligations of the Special Counsel and Attorney General to report information relating to the investigation to Congress and the public. It also provides historical examples of reports issued for other… Continue Reading
DuckDuckGo vs. Google: An In-Depth Search Engine Comparison
Search Engine Journal: “In the world of search, Google towers above the rest. It’s the “industry standard” search engine that is relied on in most any instance (at least in the United States), and, let’s be honest: it’s for good reason. Google search is an amazing tool. But competitors are always going to be vying… Continue Reading
Law enforcement taps Google’s Sensorvault for location data
The New York Times – The tech giant records people’s locations worldwide. Now, investigators are using it to find suspects and witnesses near crimes, running the risk of snaring the innocent. “…The warrants, which draw on an enormous Google database employees call Sensorvault [Sensorvault, according to Google employees, includes detailed location records involving at least… Continue Reading
How to Tap Less on Your Phone (but Get More Done)
The New York Times – Most of us spend hours each day tapping the glass of our smartphones. But what if you could do just as much — maybe more — and give your fingers a break? “….Over the years, Apple and Google have put enormous effort into reducing the tap tally for tedious tasks.… Continue Reading
Can the President Close the Border? Relevant Laws and Considerations
CRS Legal Sidebar via LC – Can the President Close the Border? Relevant Laws and Considerations, April 12, 2019: “Does the executive branch have authority to “close” the southern border? Recently, President Trump declared that he would order the closure of the U.S.-Mexico border or at least “large sections” of it, unless Mexico acts to… Continue Reading
The Urgent Quest for Slower, Better News
The New Yorker – The current system for delivering news online is broken. Readers and journalists will need to work together to find a new one. “Media outlets have been reduced to fighting over a shrinking share of our attention online; as Facebook, Google, and other tech platforms have come to monopolize our digital lives,… Continue Reading
F-words and T-shirts – SCOTUS weighs foul language trademarks
Reuters – (Editor’s note: contains language that some readers may find offensive, paragraphs 2, 13, 14, 16, 19, 22 and 23) “In the staid world of the U.S. Supreme Court, where decorum and etiquette are prized and silence is enforced by court police, the F-word could create quite a stir. Yet that expletive and others… Continue Reading
