EFF: “Our personal data and the ways private companies harvest and monetize it plays an increasingly powerful role in modern life. Corporate databases are vast, interconnected, and opaque. The movement and use of our data is difficult to understand, let alone trace. Yet companies use it to reach inferences about us, leading to lost employment, credit, and other opportunities. One unifying thread to this pervasive system is the collection of personal information from marginalized communities, and the subsequent discriminatory use by corporations and government agencies—exacerbating existing structural inequalities across society. Data surveillance is a civil rights problem, and legislation to protect data privacy can help protect civil rights…”
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Daily Archives: May 18, 2023
Wyden Responds to Harlan Crow, Re Gifts to Clarence Thomas
Follow up to previous posting – Wyden Statement on Harlan Crow Stonewalling Committee Inquiry, May 17, 2023 – Wyden Responds to Harlan Crow, Restates Questions on Gifts to Clarence Thomas. “New Letter to Crow’s Attorney Outlines Committee Jurisdiction and Extensive Legislative and Investigative History on Gift and Estate Taxes and Billionaire Tax Compliance Senate Finance… Continue Reading
ReFED Releases New Food Waste Estimates and Calls for Increased Action by Food System
“ReFED has released new estimates on the extent, causes, and impacts of food loss and waste in the United States, as well as an updated analysis of the solutions needed to fight it. The findings represent a stark call to action for food businesses, funders, policymakers, and other food system stakeholders to dramatically ramp up… Continue Reading
How to Fight Rising Subscription Fees Without Going Cold Turkey
WSJ Video: “Subscription price creep is real, and new data show that more consumers are rejecting higher prices on some of their favored subscription streaming and delivery services. WSJ personal tech columnist Nicole Nguyen joins guest host Dion Rabouin. 5 Step Guide to Pushing Back.” Continue Reading
Position Paper: Escaping Academic Cloudification to Preserve Academic Freedom
Fiebig, T., Gürses, S., & Lindorfer, M. (2022). Position Paper: Escaping Academic Cloudification to Preserve Academic Freedom. Privacy Studies Journal, 1, 51–68. https://doi.org/10.7146/psj.vi.132713 “Especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of cloud-based tools and solutions – lead by the ‘Zoomification’ of education, has picked up attention in the EdTech and privacy communities.… Continue Reading
Criminal Prohibitions on Leaks and Other Disclosures of Classified Defense Information
CRS Report – Criminal Prohibitions on Leaks and Other Disclosures of Classified Defense Information. Updated May 11, 2023 – “High-profile leaks and disclosures of protected government information have prompted frequent congressional interest in the criminal penalties for disclosing government secrets. In one recent case, a U.S. Air National Guardsman allegedly posted photographs on social media… Continue Reading
PEN America Files Lawsuit Against Florida School District Over Unconstitutional Book Bans
“Free expression organization PEN America, alongside publisher Penguin Random House, authors, and parents of children affected by the unconstitutional book bans carried out by Florida’s Escambia County School District and School Board, filed suit today in federal court asking for books to be returned to school library shelves where they belong. Ensuring that students have access to… Continue Reading
School librarians face a new penalty in the banned-book wars: Prison
Washington Post: “Librarians could face years of imprisonment and tens of thousands in fines for providing sexually explicit, obscene or “harmful” books to children under new state laws that permit criminal prosecution of school and library personnel. At least seven states have passed such laws in the last two years, according to a Washington Post… Continue Reading
Why birds and their songs are good for our mental health
Washington Post: “Two studies published last year in Scientific Reports said that seeing or hearing birds could be good for our mental well-being. So give them a listen as you learn why they may help. Research has consistently shown that more contact and interaction with nature are associated with better body and brain health. Birds… Continue Reading
Navy Library at Washington Navy Yard
“The Navy Library at the Washington Navy Yard is our nation’s oldest federal library and houses a treasure vault of material, artifacts and rare books pertaining to the Washington Navy Yard and Naval Gun Factory civilian workforce1. The library is home to the most comprehensive collection of historical literature on the United States Navy. Over 13.5%… Continue Reading
