New York Times Magazine – As China’s Xi Jinping consolidates power, owners of Hong Kong bookstores trafficking in banned books find themselves playing a very dangerous game: “…The Chinese government has long sought to shape and control information, but the scope and intensity of this effort was something new — and its origins could be… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Category Archives: Civil Liberties
Record number of women running for congress
Christian Science Monitor: “A total of 309 women have filed candidacy papers to run for the House. With many House seats up for grabs, this election may present one of the best opportunities for women to make real representational gains, experts say. A surge of women into this year’s midterm elections had been expected since… Continue Reading
UN – Urgent action needed to combat online violence against women and girls
UN Women – “A new report released today by the United Nations Broadband Commission reveals that almost three quarters of women online have been exposed to some form of cyber violence, and urges governments and industry to work harder and more effectively together to better protect the growing number of women and girls who are… Continue Reading
Brookings experts reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Brookings experts reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 50 years after his assassination. Gary Burtless, Amy Liu, Jonathan Rauch, Carol Graham, Hady Amr, Marcus Casey, Jenny Schuetz, Anthony F. Pipa, Andre M. Perry, and Nicol Turner-Lee Tuesday, April 3, 2018. “To mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s… Continue Reading
Guide to potential regulatory actions in wake of Facebook-Cambridge Analytica debacle
Axios: “For years, people didn’t mind handing their personal information over to social networks so they could chat with friends or take fun quizzes. That’s changing in the wake of Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal. What’s next: There are lots of signals that data privacy rules of some sort are on the way — including congressional… Continue Reading
Susan B. Anthony Papers now online at Library of Congress
“The papers of reformer and suffragist Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) span the period 1846-1934 with the bulk of the material dating from 1846 to 1906. The collection, consisting of approximately 500 items (6,265 images) on seven recently digitized microfilm reels, includes correspondence, diaries, a daybook, scrapbooks, speeches, and miscellaneous items. Donated by her niece, Lucy… Continue Reading
Vermont Legislature Passes Gun-Control Bill
WSJ: “The Vermont Senate passed a bill Friday that will heighten restrictions on firearms, including raising the purchasing age to 21 for many people and banning high-capacity magazines. The bill, sent to Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s desk, marks the latest move to tighten regulations after a gunman killed 17 people at a high school in… Continue Reading
DOJ IG special report sheds light on FBI seeking backdoor access to shooter’s iPhone
EFF: “The Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) last week released a new report that supports what EFF has long suspected: that the FBI’s legal fight with Apple in 2016 to create backdoor access to a San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone was more focused on creating legal precedent than it was on accessing… Continue Reading
New OPM federal diversity report shows little improvement
Washington Post: “If Uncle Sam is committed to increasing the level of racial, ethnic and gender diversity in his government, particularly at the highest levels of the civil service, you sure can’t tell it from the latest statistics. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) figures show diversity levels have improved little, stayed flat or, in some… Continue Reading
Mapping the Modern Death Sentence
“Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Law have collaborated on a new website that uses a data-driven, interactive map to illustrate the rapid decline of the issuance of the death sentence in the United States since 1991. The website is a supplement to law professor Brandon Garrett’s 2017 book, “End of Its Rope: How Killing the Death… Continue Reading
Claims to EEOC for age discrimination continue steady growth in number
USA Today: “In 2016, the most recent full year available, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received 20,857 claims of violations under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act. It was the ninth year in a row that the number of claims has exceeded 20,000, with the highest number in 2008 as the effects of… Continue Reading
Decrease in Black Jail Incarceration Rate and Stabilization of White Rate
“A new report by the Vera Institute of Justice finds that while African Americans are still overrepresented in local jails nationally, the black jail incarceration rate has begun to decline while the white rate has only stabilized. In “Divided Justice: Trends in Black and White Jail Incarceration, 1990-2013,” authors Ram Subramanian, Kristine Riley, and Chris… Continue Reading
