CNET: “Most Americans don’t trust social media companies to police the content on their platforms, according to a poll published Tuesday from Gallup and the Knight Foundation. The poll found that 80% of Americans don’t trust big tech companies to make the right decisions about what content appears on their sites and what should be… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Legislation
Black Lives Matter Protest Map
2020 George Floyd / Black Lives Matter Protests – Showing to date – 3429 cities or towns with protests (throughout the world – with the majority in the US and Europe) since May 25 2020. Updated June 13. 2020. The New York Times – How Black Lives Matter reached every corner of America – “On… Continue Reading
The Internet’s most important—and misunderstood—law, explained
Ars Technica – Section 230 is the legal foundation of social media, and it’s under attack.”…To understand Section 230, you have to understand how the law worked before Congress enacted it in 1996. At the time, the market for consumer online services was dominated by three companies: Prodigy, CompuServe, and AOL. Along with access to… Continue Reading
Larger Businesses and COVID-19 – Financial Relief and Assistance Resources
CRS report via LC: Larger Businesses and COVID-19: Financial Relief and Assistance Resources Updated June 11, 2020: “This CRS Insight presents selected resources and CRS products potentially relevant to medium and large businesses directly affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic seeking economic relief and assistance. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)… Continue Reading
Policing the Police: Qualified Immunity and Considerations for Congress
CRS report via LC – Policing the Police: Qualified Immunity and Considerations for Congress, June 10, 2020: “In the wake of unrest arising from George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020,after a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck, broader questions have arisen with regard to how existing law regulates the conduct of… Continue Reading
Trump trashes 50-year-old environmental law, blames coronavirus
grist – “With the nation’s eyes on ongoing protests for racial justice (not to mention a seemingly endless public health crisis), last week President Trump signed an executive order that would waive key requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The landmark 1970 law requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impacts of proposed… Continue Reading
Voter Registration: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress
CRS report via LC: Voter Registration: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress. June 10, 2020: “…The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) expanded registration opportunities by creating a federal mail-based registration form and requiring states to provide voter registration opportunities alongside services provided by departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) and at other agencies. NVRA… Continue Reading
COVID-19: Remote Voting Trends and the Election Infrastructure Subsector
CRS report via LC – COVID-19: Remote Voting Trends and the Election Infrastructure Subsector, June 10, 2020: “…Public health concerns about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have accelerated consideration of remote voting options as many voters have sought to avoid the possible health risks of crowded polling places. Elections authorities have invested in new… Continue Reading
Legal Issues in COVID-19 Vaccine Development
CRS report via LC – Legal Issues in COVID-19 Vaccine Development, June 8, 2020: “Private companies, universities, and governmental entities are working to develop a vaccine for corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccines are biological products regulated under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). New… Continue Reading
Congress and Police Reform: Current Law and Recent Proposals
CRS report via LC – Congress and Police Reform: Current Law and Recent Proposals, Updated June 9, 2020: “In May and June 2020, protests erupted nationwide after the publication of video footage of a Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd, leading to his death. That incident and its aftermath… Continue Reading
To enact change in the world, we must protest
National Geographic – To enact change in the world, we must protest – African Americans have a legacy of fighting for their rights in the U.S.—today, the movement has become global…. Now, America is experiencing another wave of social unrest and civil disobedience. We have little choice. Neither Minneapolis nor its police officers represent an… Continue Reading
Senators propose COVID-19 contact-tracing privacy bill
CNet – The bipartisan effort aims to protect users as technology is used to trace the spread of the novel coronavirus. “A group of US senators on Monday introduced a bill to regulate contact-tracing apps, aiming to protect user privacy as technology is used to track the spread of the novel coronavirus. The proposal is… Continue Reading
