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

Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici

U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2024 Annual Threat Assessment

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) [March 11, 2024] released the 2024 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community. This report reflects the collective insights of the Intelligence Community, which is committed every day to providing the nuanced, independent, and unvarnished intelligence that policymakers, warfighters, and domestic law enforcement personnel need… Continue Reading

Law is not Code: On Algorithms and the Concept of Law

Bezemek, Christoph, Law is not Code: On Algorithms and the Concept of Law (February 20, 2022). Studiengesellschaft für Wirtschaft und Recht (ed), Algorithmen im Wirtschaftsrecht (2023), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4696725 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4696725 “This piece addresses the (profound) differences and the (superficial) similarities between law and algorithms on a conceptual basis and invites the reader to… Continue Reading

Supreme Court will decide if states can ban lifesaving abortions

Vox: “Moyle v. United States should have been a very easy case. A federal law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), requires nearly all hospitals to provide “such treatment as may be required to stabilize the medical condition” of “any individual” who arrives at the hospital’s ER with an “emergency medical condition.” Though… Continue Reading

Librarians fear new penalties, even prison, as activists challenge books

AP: “…Across the country, book challenges and bans have soared to the highest levels in decades. Public and school-based libraries have been inundated with complaints from community members and conservative organizations such as as Moms for Liberty. Increasingly, lawmakers are considering new punishments — crippling lawsuits, hefty fines, and even imprisonment — for distributing books… Continue Reading

FCC rule now requires internet service providers to display fees

“Broadband Labels are designed to provide clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate information about the cost and performance of high-speed internet services. The labels are modeled after the FDA nutrition labels and are intended to help consumers comparison shop for the internet service plan that will best meet their needs and budget. Internet service providers that offer… Continue Reading

Automated Large-Scale Analysis of Cookie Notice Compliance

USENIX Association Report (PDF) Analysing Cookie Notice Compliance – We show that 56.7% of cookie notices do not include an option to opt out of consent, that more than 65.4% of websites with an opt-out option collect users’ data despite explicit negative consent, and that 73.4% of websites do so even when users do not… Continue Reading

We were very wrong about birds

PopSci – A sticky piece of DNA is rewriting the story of avian evolution–and shaking up the family tree: “An enormous asteroid crashed into the Earth about 65 million years ago. While terrestrial dinosaurs like the famed Tyrannosaurus rex were wiped out, many avian animals really began to flourish. Considering that there are more than… Continue Reading