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

You Are Here: Home » Archives: May 2014

Daily Archives: May 11, 2014

New on LLRX – Unwarranted DNA Sampling: The Legacy of Maryland v. King

by on

Via LLRX.com – Unwarranted DNA Sampling: The Legacy of Maryland v. King

“Criminal law expert Ken Strutin’s article addresses how DNA forensics is about information, privacy and the presumption of innocence. It has become the determinant for identification, solving cold cases and exonerating the innocent. Strutin describes that at its core, it is an inestimable library of personal data. Due to the increasingly important role of Personally identifiable information (PII), courts and legislatures have been attempting to balance the interests of the individual in protecting their genetic information with the usefulness and necessity of that same data for criminal investigation. Strutin notes clearly that any DNA or forensic database is a composite of intertwined informational and legal values that pose competing and conflicting questions about the analytics (accuracy, reliability and validity) of the data and the lawfulness (constitutionality) of its gathering. His article collects recent notable decisions and scholarship appearing in the aftermath of Maryland v. King.

DNI Announces the Release of Additional Documents Related to Collection Activities Authorized by President George W. Bush Shortly After the Attacks of Sept. 11

by on

[On May 5, 2014] “the Director of National Intelligence released additional documents related to the intelligence-gathering activities authorized by President George W. Bush shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11 and subsequently transitioned to authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. On Dec. 20, 2013, the DNI declassified and acknowledged the presidentially-authorized activities, and his public… Continue Reading

IMF Real Size of the World Economies

by on

“The International Comparison Program (ICP) released [on April 29, 2014] new data today showing that the world economy produced goods and services worth over $90 trillion in 2011, and that almost half of the world’s total output came from low and middle income countries. Under the authority of the United Nations Statistical Commission, the 2011 round… Continue Reading

Congress Seeking Transparency and Oversight of NSA Collection of Metadata

by on

New York Review of Books – We Kill People Based on Metadata by David Cole [snipped] “Supporters of the National Security Agency inevitably defend its sweeping collection of phone and Internet records on the ground that it is only collecting so-called “metadata”—who you call, when you call, how long you talk. Since this does not include the actual content… Continue Reading

The Extent and Impact of U.S. Infrastructure Jobs – Brookings

by on

“In 2012, 14.2 million workers were employed in infrastructure jobs across the country, accounting for 11 percent of national employment. Truck drivers, electricians, and civil engineers are among the occupations employing the most workers overall, the broad majority of whom (77 percent) focus on operating infrastructure rather than its construction (15 percent), design (6 percent), or… Continue Reading

Declining Business Dynamism in the United States: A Look at States and Metros

by on

Via Brookings Economic Studies – Ian Hathaway and Robert E. Litan – “Business dynamism is the process by which firms continually are born, fail, expand, and contract, as some jobs are created, others are destroyed, and others still are turned over. Research has firmly established that this dynamic process is vital to productivity and sustained economic growth.… Continue Reading

Global Survey: What’s creating tension between IT and business leaders?

by on

Via avande: “If the marketing department is making its own decisions about an email marketing service, shouldn’t it also be responsible for ensuring that the chosen technology integrates seamlessly and securely with the company’s customer relationship management (CRM) database? And if problems arise after the marketing team starts using it, is it up to IT… Continue Reading

Securities/Commodities/Exchange Civil Filings Jump 43%

by on

“The latest available data from the federal courts show that during March 2014 the government reported a 43 percent jump in new securities/commodities/exchange civil filings. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), there were 93 new filings in March, up from 65 in February. It is too soon to… Continue Reading

U.S. Open Data Action Plan

by on

U.S. Open Data Action Plan, May 9, 2014. “Throughout his Administration, President Obama has articulated a vision of the U.S. Government managing information as a national asset and opening up its data, where possible, as a public good to advance government efficiency, improve accountability, and fuel private sector innovation, scientific discovery, and economic growth. Putting government… Continue Reading

The Ups and Downs in Women’s Employment: Shifting Composition or Behavior from 1970 to 2010?

by on

“This paper tracks factors contributing to the ups and downs in women’s employment from 1970 to 2010 using regression decompositions focusing on whether changes are due to shifts in the means (composition of women) or due to shifts in coefficients (inclinations of women to work for pay). Compositional shifts in education exerted a positive effect… Continue Reading