ZDNet – “What does the rise of intrusive tools such as employee surveillance software mean for workers at home? A new study shows that the demand for employee surveillance software was up 55% in June 2020 compared to the pre-pandemic average. From webcam access to random screenshot monitoring, these surveillance software products can record almost everything an employee does on their computer. VPN review website Top10VPN used its global monitoring data to analyze over 200 terms related to employee surveillance software. It took into account both generic and brand-specific queries for its study which compared searches during March-May 2020 with internet searches in the preceding year. Global demand for employee monitoring software increased by 108% in April, and 70% in May 2020 compared with searches carried out the preceding year. Queries for “How to monitor employees working from home” increased by 1,705% in April and 652% in May 2020 compared with searches carried out the preceding year…”
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Daily Archives: November 16, 2020
Proposal to install spyware in university libraries to protect copyrights shocks academics
Coda Story – “A recent proposal recommending the deployment of surveillance software in order to monitor those accessing academic material has drawn fire from digital rights advocates and scientists. The plan was outlined on October 22 during a virtual webinar hosted by a consortium of the world’s leading publishers of scientific journals, featuring security experts discussing the threats posed… Continue Reading
Free software to create full copies of sites to archive
“HTTrack is a free (GPL, libre/free software) and easy-to-use offline browser utility. It allows you to download a World Wide Web site from the Internet to a local directory, building recursively all directories, getting HTML, images, and other files from the server to your computer. HTTrack arranges the original site’s relative link-structure. Simply open a… Continue Reading
How Do Presidential Transitions Normally Work?
LifeHacker: “The White House has seen a peaceful transitions of power between outgoing and incoming presidential administrations throughout history, regardless of any volatility gripping the nation. Passing the baton of executive power to a new presidential administration has been a hallmark of this country’s democracy; the White House is where presidential tenants temporarily reside, not… Continue Reading
Confronting the ‘Climate Lehman Moment’: The Case for Macroprudential Climate Regulation
Steele, Graham, Confronting the ‘Climate Lehman Moment’: The Case for Macroprudential Climate Regulation Vol. 30 Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy 109 – forthcoming. “U.S. financial regulators have argued that the risks that climate change poses for large financial institutions are outside of their core regulatory mandate. This article argues that oversight of the… Continue Reading
Mehlman Castagnetti – America Decided – America’s Divided
PowerPoint – America Decided – America’s Divided – MAIN TAKEAWAYS “Voters wanted more competent but also more moderate leadership: Trump lost for failing to manage COVID competently & excessive chaos / division • House Democrats lost where voters feared overly-aggressive Progressivism Our nation remains narrowly & deeply divided: • Senate & House nearly tied, key… Continue Reading
Experts say the CDC’s Thanksgiving guidelines are too lenient
Fast Company: “American Thanksgiving is fast approaching, but Canada celebrated its Thanksgiving in early October. Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s calls to cancel in-person gatherings to curb the spread of the coronavirus, celebrations went on, and led to now-documented outbreaks. The experience of our northern neighbor, which has significantly lower COVID-19 cases, could serve as… Continue Reading
Bills, Resolutions, Nominations,and Treaties: Characteristics and Examples of Use
CRS report via LC: Bills, Resolutions, Nominations,and Treaties: Characteristics and Examples of Use – November 16, 2020. “In each chamber of Congress, four forms of legislative measures may be introduced (or, in the case of resolutions, submitted) and acted on: bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, and resolutions of one house (“simple resolutions”). In addition, under… Continue Reading
Visualizing How Voting has Changed Between the 2016 and 2020 U.S. Presidential Elections
Center for Data Innovation: “Reuters has created a series of visualizations that show how county-level votes (where at least 95 percent of expected votes have been counted) have changed between the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the 2020 U.S. presidential election. One visualization shows that counties with large numbers of Hispanic voters, which have historically… Continue Reading
RCEP: Asia-Pacific countries form world’s largest trading bloc
BBC – “Fifteen countries have formed the world’s largest trading bloc, covering nearly a third of the global economy. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is made up of 10 Southeast Asian countries, as well as South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The pact is seen as an extension of China’s influence in… Continue Reading
Early data – new vaccine that protects against Covid-19 is nearly 95% effective
BBC – “A new vaccine that protects against Covid-19 is nearly 95% effective, early data from US company Moderna shows. The results come hot on the heels of similar results from Pfizer, and add to growing confidence that vaccines can help end the pandemic. Both companies used a highly innovative and experimental approach to designing… Continue Reading
