Facebook in the Spotlight: Dataism vs. Privacy | beSpacific EPIC Sues FTC for Release of Facebook’s Audits | beSpacific Peekier – privacy-oriented search engine | beSpacific Global Findex Database Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution | beSpacific No One Knows How Long the U.S. Coastline Is – Really! | beSpacific NYT – U.S. Investigating… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: April 2018
Facebook in the Spotlight: Dataism vs. Privacy
JURIST Guest Columnist Chris Hoofnagle of Berkeley Law, discusses the policing of Facebook’s privacy policies and FTC enforcement: “Are our institutions up to the challenge of protecting users from information-age problems? This is the high-level question emerging from the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica debate. While on one hand Facebook and similarly-situated companies will pay some regulatory price,… Continue Reading
EPIC Sues FTC for Release of Facebook’s Audits
“EPIC has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to obtain the release of the unredacted Facebook Assessments from the FTC. The FTC Consent Order. required Facebook to provide to the FTC biennial assessments conducted by an independent auditor. In March, EPIC filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the 2013, 2015, 2017 Facebook… Continue Reading
Peekier – privacy-oriented search engine
“Peekier (pronounced /’pi·ki·er/) is a new way to search the web. Peek through search results fast and securely on a search engine that respects your privacy. Faster information discovery – Peekier shows you a website preview of the search results. Clicking on a result will maximize the preview and allow you to scroll through the… Continue Reading
Global Findex Database Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution
“Financial inclusion is on the rise globally, accelerated by mobile phones and the internet, but gains have been uneven across countries. A new World Bank report on the use of financial services also finds that men remain more likely than women to have an account. Globally, 69 percent of adults – 3.8 billion people –… Continue Reading
No One Knows How Long the U.S. Coastline Is – Really!
Discover: “How long is the U.S. coastline? It’s a straightforward question, and one that’s important for scientists and government agencies alike. The U.S. Geological Survey could give you an answer, too, but I’m going to tell you right now that it’s wrong. In fact, no one could give you the right answer, and if you look… Continue Reading
NYT – U.S. Investigating AT&T and Verizon Over Wireless Collusion Claim
The New York Times: “The Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into potential coordination by AT&T, Verizon and a telecommunications standards organization to hinder consumers from easily switching wireless carriers, according to six people with knowledge of the inquiry. In February, the Justice Department issued demands to AT&T, Verizon and the G.S.M.A., a mobile… Continue Reading
Treasury Data Act leaders now applying expertise to municipal government data
StateScoop: “Four years ago, Christina Ho led an effort through the U.S. Treasury Department to help Americans track the federal government’s spending of public funds. Now, she’s left government and embarked on a new project: aggregating data from the country’s more than 30,000 municipalities to help citizens shape local policy. On Monday, Ho launched a beta version of her… Continue Reading
FOIA requests reveal EPA effort to boost impact of industry sponsored research
Union of Concerned Scientists: “Newly released documents obtained by the Union of Concerned Scientists under three separate Freedom of Information Act requests and first reported on by POLITICO demonstrate that the Trojan horse “secret science” proposal being floated by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt is entirely driven by politics. POLITICO writes: “Since Pruitt… Continue Reading
Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act
News release: “US Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduc[ed] the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act. The new legislation merges two parallel efforts into one unified, bipartisan bill. In August of 2017, Senators Tillis and Coons introduced the Special Counsel Integrity Act, S. 1741, and Senators Graham… Continue Reading
Americans Favor Protecting Information Freedoms Over Government Steps to Restrict False News Online
“The widespread concerns over misinformation online have created a tension in the United States between taking steps to restrict that information – including possible government regulation – and protecting the long-held belief in the freedom to access and publish information. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that the majority of Americans are resistant to… Continue Reading
Papers of Benjamin Franklin Now Online
“The papers of American scientist, statesman and diplomat Benjamin Franklin have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress. The Library announced the digitization in remembrance of the anniversary of Franklin’s death on April 17, 1790. The Franklin papers consist of approximately 8,000 items mostly dating from… Continue Reading
