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Monthly Archives: February 2019

The Stanford Open Policing Project

“Currently, a comprehensive, national repository detailing interactions between police and the public doesn’t exist. That’s why the Stanford Open Policing Project is collecting and standardizing data on vehicle and pedestrian stops from law enforcement departments across the country — and we’re making that information freely available. We’ve already gathered 130 million records from 31 state… Continue Reading

China has control of strategic metals and minerals in emerging 5G market

Wired: ‘You may have heard that China has cornered much of the world’s supply of strategic metals and minerals crucial for new technology, including lithium, rare earths, copper, and manganese used in everything from smartphones to electric cars. As of 2015, China was the leading global producer of 23 of the 41 elements the British… Continue Reading

Convergence of scientific reports and public opinion begins on climate warming

Axios: “Dire scientific reports and extreme weather events are combining to force a make-or-break season for confronting global warming. The rare convergence includes extreme weather events nationwide, and shifting public views fueling support for stronger policies. Why it matters: The actions we take in the next 10 to 20 years could be crucial to determining… Continue Reading

What’s the Weather Like on Mars? NASA has a site for that

Weather Report at Elysium Planitia – “This plot is being updated daily throughout the duration of the InSight mission. The plot shows the latest three sols (Martian days) of weather data at InSight’s landing site near the equator of Mars. Time runs along the bottom of the plot with the most recent data at the… Continue Reading

The Web of Legal Protections for Participants in Genomic Research

Wolf, Leslie E. and Fuse Brown, Erin C. and Kerr, Ryan and Razick, Genevieve and Tanner, Gregory and Duvall, Brett and Jones, Sakinah and Brackney, Jack and Posada, Tatiana, The Web of Legal Protections for Participants in Genomic Research (February 4, 2019). Health Matrix: Journal of Law-Medicine, vol. 29, 2019; Georgia State University College of… Continue Reading

How tech companies use dark patterns to discourage us from exercising our rights to privacy

Dark Patterns – How tech companies use dark patterns to discourage us from exercising our rights to privacy. The Norwegian Consumer Council (the Forbrukerrådet or NCC) report criticizes “features of interface design crafted to trick users into doing things that they might not want to do, but which benefit the business in question.” “In this… Continue Reading

Whistleblowers Raise Grave Concerns with Trump Administration’s Efforts to Transfer Sensitive Nuclear Technology to Saudi Arabia

Whistleblowers Raise Grave Concerns with Trump Administration’s Efforts to Transfer Sensitive Nuclear Technology to Saudi Arabia. Prepared for Chairman Elijah E. Cummings Interim Staff Report Committee on Oversight and Reform U.S. House of Representatives. February 2019. “This interim staff report was prepared for Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and… Continue Reading

Sustainability Scorecard Flunks Charmin and Other Toilet Paper Brands

NRDC: “A new report takes the largest tissue companies to task for destroying North American forests and exacerbating the world’s climate crisis. “The Issue with Tissue” reveals Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, and Georgia-Pacific use zero recycled content in their at-home toilet paper, instead relying on ancient trees clear-cut from the Canadian boreal forest (the “Amazon of the… Continue Reading

Your phone and TV are tracking you and political campaigns are listening in

La Times: “…Welcome to the new frontier of campaign tech — a loosely regulated world in which simply downloading a weather app or game, connecting to Wi-Fi at a coffee shop or powering up a home router can allow a data broker to monitor your movements with ease, then compile the location information and sell… Continue Reading