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Category Archives: Legislation

Big Tech Lobbyists Explain How They Took Over Washington

reThink Trade: “An amazing research paper unearths how the tech industry invented the concept of digital trade and sold it to government officials. Progressive trade advocates continue to express confusion over the Biden administration’s trade policies. Despite a U.S. trade representative (USTR) in Katherine Tai who has prioritized a worker-centered trade vision that breaks with… Continue Reading

Florida school district bans dozens of books based on proposed bill

Judd at Popular Information: “Schools in Clay County, Florida, are withholding dozens of books from students, citing legislation that has been proposed but not approved by the state legislature or signed into law.  In a spreadsheet published by the Clay County school district listing the status of challenged books, 55 titles were categorized as “Pending… Continue Reading

Plastic Recylcing is a Scam

Plastic Recycling is an Actual Scam | Climate Town / YouTube Plastic Legislation to get involved with: Depending on where you live, there’s a lot you can do. NCSL Overview: https://www.ncsl.org/research/environ… Earth Day Plastic Action: https://www.earthday.org/act-on-plast… Cleveland Preemptive Ban: https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/0… Nat Geo breakdown: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/en… CIF: https://www.clf.org/blog/the-truth-ab… WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/plastic-… NRDC: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/single-u… Follow Climate Town on Instagram:… Continue Reading

The State of Scholarly Metadata: 2023

‘In late 2022, CCC and Media Growth Strategies undertook a thorough examination of metadata management across the research lifecycle. This in-depth review builds on an existing body of work to uncover multiple policy and system complexities and breakages, which – separately and together – create missed opportunities for the communities for whom Open Access (OA)… Continue Reading

The Global Expansion of Judicial Power

Hirschl, Ran, The Global Expansion of Judicial Power (March 1, 2023). Oxford Handbook of Comparative Judicial Behavior (Lee Epstein, Gunnar Grendstad, Urška Šadl, and Keren Weinshall, eds., Oxford University Press, 2023), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4373693 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4373693 “The global expansion of judicial power is one of the most significant developments in late-20th and early-21st century… Continue Reading

Digital Privacy Legislation is Civil Rights Legislation

EFF: “As Congress ponders legislation to reform “big tech,” it must view comprehensive digital privacy legislation as desperately needed civil rights legislation, because data abuses often disproportionately harm communities already bearing the brunt of other inequalities. Harvesting and monetizing personal data whenever anyone uses social media or even vital online services has become ubiquitous, yet… Continue Reading

The Promise and Perils of Tech Whistleblowing

Bloch-Wehba, Hannah, The Promise and Perils of Tech Whistleblowing (March 3, 2023). Northwestern University Law Review, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4377064 “Whistleblowers and leakers wield significant influence in technology law and policy. On topics ranging from cybersecurity to free speech, tech whistleblowers spur congressional hearings, motivate the introduction of legislation, and animate critical press coverage… Continue Reading

Financial Disclosure and the Supreme Court

CRS Legal Sidebar: April 14, 2023: ” The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (EIGA) established financial disclosure reporting requirements for many high-level government officials and employees, including the Chief Justice of the United States and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court. Supreme Court Justices must file publicly available financial disclosure statements that report… Continue Reading

Clarence Thomas Defends Undisclosed “Family Trips” With GOP Megadonor. Here Are the Facts.

Follow up to ProPublica April 5, 2023 report – Clarence Thomas and the Billlionare – “In response to [the] ProPublica report, Thomas explained why he did not disclose lavish travel provided by billionaire Harlan Crow. But legal experts maintain the justice was required to make these disclosures….“Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought… Continue Reading

Measuring trends in Artificial Intelligence

“The AI Index is an independent initiative at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), led by the AI Index Steering Committee, an interdisciplinary group of experts from across academia and industry. The annual report tracks, collates, distills, and visualizes data relating to artificial intelligence, enabling decision-makers to take meaningful action to advance AI… Continue Reading

Reforming federal procurement and acquisitions policies

Brookings: “The federal government purchases around $665 billion in goods and services each year from outside contractors, which is 10% of its $6.5 trillion budget. This includes items such as building and construction, office furniture and supplies, industrial products, professional services, information technology, defense equipment, security systems, transportation, logistical support, travel, meals, and lodging, among… Continue Reading