Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: May 16, 2019

The 2019 Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index is now online

“Microsoft has unseated Google at the top of the 2019 RDR Corporate Accountability Index. Telefónica outpaced Vodafone among telecommunications companies. Yet despite progress, most companies still leave users in the dark about key policies and practices affecting privacy and freedom of expression, according to the 2019 Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index, released today.

The 2019 RDR Index evaluated 24 of the world’s most powerful internet, mobile ecosystem, and telecommunications companies on their disclosed commitments, policies, and practices affecting users’ freedom of expression and privacy, including governance and oversight mechanisms. Research showed that in the past year a majority of companies improved and clarified policies affecting users’ privacy—a trend that appears to be driven by new data protection regulations in the EU and elsewhere. But even the leading companies fell short in key areas. Few scored higher than 50 percent, failing to even meet basic transparency standards, leaving users across the globe in the dark about how their personal information is collected and protected—and even profited from.

Companies evaluated by the 2019 RDR Index collectively provide products and services used by more than half of the world’s 4.3 billion internet users, thus providing a snapshot of the extent to which users’ rights are protected and respected across the globe. The RDR Index methodology sets minimum standards for what companies should disclose about their rules and processes for enforcing them, data privacy and security policies and practices, and how they handle government demands to remove or block content, to shut down internet services, or to access user information and communications…”

Legal Research Data Base Evaluation Drawing the Silken Thread 2d. ed.

Stock, Jonathan, Legal Research Data Base Evaluation Drawing the Silken Thread 2d. ed. (May 6, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3383588 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3383588 “This study constitutes an update of its predecessor released last year. The silken thread, being drawn a second time, this new document should be reviewed in relation to its 2018 first edition. Releasing… Continue Reading

The Limits of Executive Privilege

POGO – “In light of the House Judiciary Committee’s important hearing today on executive privilege and Congressional oversight, we have excerpted portions of When Congress Comes Calling, The Constitution Project at the Project On Government Oversight’s study on legislative inquiry. The author of When Congress Comes Calling, Morton Rosenberg, served for over 35 years at… Continue Reading

10 facts about Americans and Facebook

Pew FactTank – “Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes made headlines this month when he argued that the tech giant he helped establish 15 years ago has become a “monopoly” and should be broken up. Democratic presidential candidates have also weighed in, but Facebook itself has rejected such calls. Here are 10 facts about Americans and Facebook,… Continue Reading

Ask Me Anything: Promoting Archive Collections On Reddit

Ask Me Anything: Promoting Archive Collections On Reddit. Sara May, 4 Marketing Libraries Journal, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Winter 2019. Rochester Institute of Technology. “Social media is an important marketing and outreach tool for many libraries. While Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are commonly used, Reddit is underutilized despite its popularity and high user engagement. Special… Continue Reading

Reclaim Your Privacy with These Privacy-Focused Alternatives to Google’s Services

make tech easier – “We put up with Google because the apps are awesome. But there are downsides to living in the panopticon. If you’d prefer not to have a corporation and all its buddies breathing down your neck, consider these privacy-focused alternatives to Google’s services [the include: Gmail, Google Maps, Google Docs, Google Calendar,… Continue Reading

The 2019 Fortune 500 List: The Prize of Size

From industry dominating mergers to legacy second-acts, the world’s highest-revenue-generating companies make moves that reverberate. – Consider this fact: Just 500 companies—the ones on this year’s ­Fortune 500 list, to be precise—produced enough revenue last year to equal two-thirds of the entire economic output of the United States. Think about that a minute: just 500… Continue Reading

Office of Government Ethics releases Trump’s 2018 financial disclosure

Axios – The Office of Government Ethics has released President Trump’s 2018 financial disclosure form, shedding light into how much money he made in the second full year of his presidency. [the full text document is embedded in this article] “Quick take: Income at Trump’s D.C. golf club was up $500,000 to about $13.3 million,… Continue Reading