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Category Archives: Legal Research

The Great Scrape: The Clash Between Scraping and Privacy

Solove, Daniel J. and Hartzog, Woodrow, The Great Scrape: The Clash Between Scraping and Privacy (July 03, 2024). 113 California Law Review (forthcoming 2025), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4884485 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4884485   Artificial intelligence (AI) systems depend on massive quantities of data, often gathered by “scraping” – the automated extraction of large amounts of data from… Continue Reading

CFPB Proposes Rule to Stop Data Brokers from Selling Sensitive Personal Data to Scammers, Stalkers, and Spies

“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today proposed a rule to rein in data brokers that sell Americans’ sensitive personal and financial information. The proposed rule would limit the sale of personal identifiers like Social Security Numbers and phone numbers collected by certain companies and make sure that people’s financial data such as income is… Continue Reading

Social Security Faces a Crisis, but Sound Tax Policy Can Help

Bloomberg Tax: “Social Security, one of the most successful anti-poverty programs in US history, faces a funding crisis by 2035. Raising taxes on upper-income earners and including investment income in the taxable base for Social Security would be practical and politically plausible solutions ahead of this deadline. The economic stability offered by the Social Security… Continue Reading

Feds Can Film Your Front Porch for 68 Days Without a Warrant, Says Court

Gizmodo: A federal court says your privacy is diminished due to the proliferation of video cameras throughout society. “…The federal court’s decision says that video cameras have become “ubiquitous,” and have therefore diminished our expectations of privacy. Police officers wear body cameras now, cellphones have cameras, and many doorbells record your porch. The court isn’t… Continue Reading

Book Review – Watchdogs: Inspectors General and the Battle for Honest and Accountable Government

Via LLRX – Book Review – Watchdogs: Inspectors General and the Battle for Honest and Accountable Government – The 2024 election results have prompted discussion about the effectiveness of “guardrails” that might restrain Presidential activities that could harm the nation. Jerry Lawson’s review notes that Glenn Fine’s new book, Watchdogs: Inspectors General and the Battle of… Continue Reading

AI in Finance and Banking, November 30, 2024

Via LLRX – AI in Finance and Banking, November 30, 2024 – This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, conferences, industry white papers and reports, academic papers and speeches, and central bank actions on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological… Continue Reading

Can a Comma Solve a Crime?

The Dial – How forensic linguists use grammar, syntax and vocabulary to help crack cold cases. “…According to forensic linguists, we all use language in a uniquely identifiable way that can be as incriminating as a fingerprint. The word “forensic” may suggest a scientist in a protective suit inspecting a crime scene for drops of… Continue Reading

Tracking Indoor Location, Movement and Desk Occupancy in the Workplace

Cracked Labs. Case study “Tracking Indoor Location, Movement and Desk Occupancy in the Workplace” – “As offices, buildings and other corporate facilities become networked environments, there is a growing desire among employers to exploit data gathered from their existing digital infrastructure or additional sensors for various purposes. Whether intentionally or as a byproduct, this includes… Continue Reading

Water Conflict Chronology

Citation: Pacific Institute (2024) Water Conflict Chronology. Pacific Institute, Oakland, CA. https://www.worldwater.org/water-conflict/ – “In an ongoing effort to understand the connections between water resources, water systems, and international security and conflict, the Pacific Institute initiated a project in the late 1980s to track and categorize events related to water and conflict, which has been continuously… Continue Reading