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Category Archives: Legal Research

404 Media has obtained a list of 200+ sites monitored by a contractor for ICE

404 Media [unpaywalled] – “A contractor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and many other U.S. government agencies has developed a tool that lets analysts more easily pull a target individual’s publicly available data from a wide array of sites, social networks, apps, and services across the web at once, including Amazon, Apple Music, BabyCenter, Bluesky, Facebook, Github, GoFundMe, OnlyFans, Instagra, according to a leaked list of the sites obtained by 404 Media. In all the list names more than 200 sites that the contractor, called ShadowDragon, pulls data from and makes available to its government clients, allowing them to map out a person’s activity, movements, and relationships.”

404 Media has uploaded the list here.

AI search engines fail accuracy test, study finds 60% error rate

TechSpot: “In context: It is a foregone conclusion that AI models can lack accuracy. Hallucinations and doubling down on wrong information have been an ongoing struggle for developers. Usage varies so much in individual use cases that it’s hard to nail down quantifiable percentages related to AI accuracy. A research team claims it now has… Continue Reading

Paper Shredders and Burn Bags: The Vandalism of USAID Is Nearly Complete

National Security Archive: “Official email Monday night ordered classified and personnel files into burn bags Shredding party at the Reagan Building tries to erase history and accountability. Washington, D.C., March 12, 2025 – The acting executive secretary of the U.S. Agency for International Development Monday night [March 10, 2025] ordered the destruction of classified records… Continue Reading

BBC – The internet’s memory problem

Released On: 12 Mar 2025 Available for over a year.  We’re replacing BBC Sounds outside the UK and bringing you BBC.com, a seamless way to read, watch, and listen – all in one place. Visit bbc.com/audio or need more help?The internet is where much of our modern cultural, societal and political history is stored, but… Continue Reading

Spreading AI-generated content could lead to expensive fines

PopSci: “AI-generated “deepfake” materials are flooding the internet, sometimes with dangerous results. In just the last year, AI has been used to make deceiving voice clones of a former US president and spread fake, politically-charged images depicting children in natural disasters. Nonconsensual, AI-generated sexual images and videos, meanwhile, are leaving a trail of trauma impacting… Continue Reading

Trump just weakened one of the nation’s oldest environmental laws

Washington Post- no paywall: “The Interior Department has suspended a legal opinion that held companies liable for accidentally killing ducks, cranes, pelicans, owls and hundreds of other bird species. In a memorandum dated Feb. 28 but posted online in recent days, Interior’s acting chief lawyer suspended every legal opinion issued by the Biden administration, including… Continue Reading

The largest collection of Free stuff on the Internet

“While it’s self-proclaimed, it’s easy to believe that this is the largest collection of links to free sites on the internet” [Free]. All searchable, the content spans AI, Discord, Privacy, Gaming, Movies, TV, Anime, Sports, Music, Podcasts, Radio, Books, Comics, Manga, Downloading, Torrenting, Educational, Android, iOS, Linux, MacOS, Non-english….” Continue Reading

Censor, purge, defund: how Trump is following the authoritarian playbook on science and universities

Christina Pagel – Diving into Data & Decision making: “The attacks on science and universities are neither random nor new. This isn’t chaos—it’s a deliberate war on science and academic freedom. In just six weeks, the Trump administration has slashed research budgets, purged health and scientific agencies, censored research, and threatened universities. Making a list… Continue Reading

Perkins Coie Drags Trump Administration Clear To Hell In New Lawsuit

Above the Law: “Last week, Perkins Coie was called out by the Trump administration for retribution. They were the subject of an executive order that purported to revoke security clearances for employees of the firm, called for the termination of government contracts with the firm, and called for a review of the DEI policies of Perkins Coie… Continue Reading

Monitor Tracking Civic Space Adds US to Watchlist

Trump administration puts US civic freedoms under severe threat – CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist: “The United States of America (USA) has been added to our Watchlist as the country faces increasing undue restrictions on civic freedoms under President Donald Trump’s second term. Gross abuses of executive power raise serious concerns over the freedoms of peaceful assembly,… Continue Reading

DOGE Threat: How Government Data Would Give an AI Company Extraordinary Power

Gizmodo: “The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has secured unprecedented access to at least seven sensitive federal databases, including those of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. This access has sparked fears about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and privacy violations. Another concern has received far less attention: the potential use of the data to… Continue Reading